


Send Your Rain

by taralkariel



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Armitage Hux is a Jerk, Ben Solo Needs A Hug, Biological Weapons, Canon Compliant, Episode 9, F/M, Force Visions, POV Alternating, Redemption, Rey-Centric, Speculation, Stormtrooper Rebellion, The Force Ships It, lando is charming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-28
Updated: 2019-03-14
Packaged: 2019-11-07 01:37:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 39,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17951150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taralkariel/pseuds/taralkariel
Summary: The Resistance is rebuilding after the escape from Crait.  Rey has shouldered the mantle of being the Last Jedi when she feels a pull from the Force to search for a Jedi artifact.  Poe, Finn, and Rose are working on a plan to bring down the First Order from the inside when they get a mysterious message about their enemy's whereabouts.  Being Supreme Leader isn't going exactly how Kylo Ren expected and he is rethinking his place in the galaxy.  General Hux brings in the Knights of Ren to hunt down the Last Jedi and to convince them to depose their master.Space action-adventure drama with a sentimental ending.





	1. Almost thought we made it home, but we don't know this place at all

A bulky white cylinder shot through space, gaining speed as parts of it broke off whenever it approached the orbit of a planet.  Thrusters on the smaller pieces guided them down to take readings about the surface.  One plummeted through the atmosphere of a green, swampy world and plunged into the muck that took the place of landmasses.

Poe Dameron was watching its progress through his macrobinoculars from a hidden lookout in a tree.  He waited patiently as the intruder rose back out of the sludge.  It was a probe droid, and it began scanning immediately as he considered what to do.  On one hand, destroying it would trigger an alarm that might alert the First Order to their base’s location.  On the other hand, preventing their enemies from getting any information, even whatever technical readings it might glean of the submerged infrastructure, was a dangerous risk.

The First Order’s probe droids had few weaknesses, according to Finn, so maybe attempting to stop it would just attract attention.  They had known this day would come, when the First Order would focus on finding the Resistance base.  And still they had no plan.  Their attempts at rebuilding had been steady, but they had scarcely returned to the strength they’d had before the Republic had been destroyed.  Leia insisted that she needed more time to rebuild the government.  So he’d have to buy her some.

The droid beeped as it turned and made careful appraisals of the swampland.  Poe silently climbed down from the lookout to get closer to it, keeping an eye on which way it was facing.  Sneaking up behind a droid wasn’t something he’d had to do before, he thought with some amusement, but he was confident that he did not need to call for any reinforcements.  Especially since he wanted to keep any activity from registering on its scans.

When he was close enough, he pulled out his blaster to shoot – not at the droid, but at the base of a nearby tree, causing enough damage for the trunk to split in half with a crack, sinking into the swamp.  His calculations were proven correct by the droid being struck by the bulk of the tree before both sunk.  He held his breath and waited to see if the thing survived the unorthodox attack.  It wouldn’t hurt to be thorough, he decided.  He climbed over the remains of the trunk and moved aside branches until he could reach the machine.  Its flickering lights had all gone out.  Tragedy averted, he thought to himself, and headed back to his lookout.

 

The alarm was ringing on the Falcon loud enough to deafen passerby.  Finn was shooting Rey a glare from the other side of the hangar, not to mention the other frowns from the rest of the Resistance’s pilots and techs, and Chewie’s roars of displeasure could be heard over the din.

“I’m trying!” she snapped, trying to locate the source of the distress.  No small feat when so much of this bucket of bolts was replacement parts – nothing seemed to work for very long.  Chewie offered his opinion in somewhat less than polite terms and she grimaced.  He was right, though.  He usually was.  She applied her wrench as directed and the alarm stopped abruptly.

“Happy now?” she grumbled in the ensuing silence.  Chewie responded in a similarly annoyed tone and she rolled her eyes.  “Maybe if there weren’t so many components being repurposed as nests, it would run better.”

Rose giggled at Chewie’s answer and Rey glanced at her sharply, unaware that Rose could understand the language.  “I’ve been picking up a few things,” the other girl explained.  “He says that to you a lot,” she added almost sheepishly.

Rey resisted the urge to roll her eyes again.  “I appreciate your support.  Both of your support.  Now, are you two going to help me or just complain?”

“I wasn’t complaining,” Rose said defensively while Chewie asserted that he could complain as much as he wanted.

“Fine,” Rey waved her hand impatiently.  “Bring me the bonding tape, will you?  I think it’s the motivator again.”

Rose was a good mechanic, about as good as Rey.  Chewie had fewer general skills, but was obviously more familiar with the Falcon.  He knew its history and knew what would and wouldn’t work, though he did not often see any reason to explain things to her.  Still, this was a much easier project than tinkering with the lightsaber or reading those old Jedi books.  Reading was not something particularly encouraged on Jakku, but she was making some headway.  The cramped bases in which the Resistance had been hiding did not offer many opportunities for privacy in which to study, so she was not progressing as quickly as she would have liked.

“Hey, sorry to interrupt, but Poe’s calling a meeting,” Finn called as he approached. 

Rey did not miss the way he glanced shyly at Rose and the way she looked back at him.  “What’s this about?” she asked, not wanting to think about why the exchange made her ache.

Finn shrugged.  “He didn’t say.”

Shrugging, Rey closed up the panel in which she had been working and followed her friends to the main room, the one large enough to fit everyone.  Space was a precious commodity underneath a swamp, though she did enjoy that the hallways were often transparent.  She liked looking out, even if it made her feel sort of trapped and sometimes disgusted by the swamp life.

As a result of her curiosity, she fell a little behind the others.

“Rey…?” a whisper in her ear caused her to jump, looking around.  There was no one in sight.  She bit her lip, uncertain if she wanted to hear the voice again or not.

“Come on, Rey, hurry!” Rose called back and she jogged to catch up.

Most of the officers in the Resistance were already seated around the room and Rey took her customary place near the front.  She did not like being so close to the center of attention, but she understood her role here.  The Last Jedi.  The hero on whom everyone depended.  It was important to look the part in front of the Resistance, especially any new recruits who may have heard exaggerated stories about her.  At least her friends did not have such lofty expectations.

“Well, I have bad news,” Poe Dameron said abruptly.  The murmuring in the room ceased and everyone turned their attention to him.  “A probe droid dropped into our orbit an hour ago.  I took care of it, but there is no way to know how much information it may have communicated to the First Order before I did.  We have been considering relocating for a while now and I think it’s time that we do.”

As was so often the case, this idea prompted a discussion amongst the generals of the Resistance.  Rey had no official capacity, not really, so she kept her thoughts to herself.  Often, she wondered why she attended these meetings.  She had no tactical training and her books seemed to be more theoretical than immediately useful for the Resistance, except for little things like a healing technique she was looking forward to trying out.  In any case, it was difficult to listen to them talk about the First Order, and there was the real fear that things mentioned in front of her might find themselves known by their enemies.  Especially with what had just happened.  So she tried not to listen to the discussion.

Another precaution was that she had insisted on staying inside the base.  She had explained to everyone that there was the possibility of her Force signature being traced.  That might not be true, but the structure did seem to have a dampening effect on things.  She had been feeling more than a little claustrophobic as a result of the crushing weight of swamp water all around her, but it was for the best.  Or had been – what would she do if wasn’t anymore?

 

“We can’t just leave here without somewhere to go,” Finn was saying, frowning at Poe.

“I told you, General Organa said –” Poe defended himself.

“Yes, that her old allies could be counted on.  And I’m sure she’s doing her best to contact them and rebuild, but I didn’t see anyone volunteering when we were on Crait.  It’s been more than 30 years since she’s talked to some of these people!  We can’t evacuate the whole Resistance on faith,” Finn retorted.

Rose put a hand on his arm gently.  “Maybe we could send a message ahead of us,” she offered.  “Is there anywhere else we can go?”

Poe sat back and shrugged.  “Our agents are working on it, and Leia is doing her best.  But it takes time and the First Order has become entrenched.  It won’t be long before we have no allies left that we haven’t exhausted.  Well, none with the kind of resources we need, anyway.”

“Fine,” Finn muttered, glancing at those around him.  “Let’s go to Cloud City.  But I don’t think we should unpack right away.”

Poe made little attempt to hide his triumphant smirk.  “Are we all in agreement?”

Those who had sided with Finn or had other misgivings grudgingly agreed and Poe ended the meeting, issuing orders to begin the evacuation immediately.

“Rey, you okay?” Finn asked quietly as they left the room.

She shook off her thoughts and smiled at him.  “Yes, of course.  Looking forward to a change in scenery.”

“Oh, I see, that’s why you didn’t chime in – you were against me!”

Grinning, she nodded.  “I didn’t want to undermine you in public.”

He huffed.  “Well, I wouldn’t think someone who had the same view for twenty years would be so picky, but I’m sure giving our Jedi something new to see will be worth the effort of relocating all of our people.”

She pushed him but couldn’t suppress a giggle.  “Yeah, twenty years of the same view was terrible.  I’m loving all these new ones.  Rose, you’re on my side, right?”

Rose smiled at them politely, then cocked her head.  “What’s that?  Oh, I hear someone calling my name.  I’d hate to keep them waiting.  You’ll have to sort this out on your own,” she told them with convincing sincerity before hurrying off toward the hangar.

“You know, I think she was just making excuses,” Finn said with a fond smile.  “Well, we do all have our orders.  I’ll see you later,” he added and headed off after Rose.

Rey let out a sigh, and then made her way toward the barracks to start packing.

 

The Jedi Killer, Master of the Knights of Ren, heir apparent to Darth Vader, Supreme Leader of the First Order sat on his throne, surrounded by his officers.  General Hux stood a little too close, nearer than he would have with the previous Supreme Leader.  The other officers kept their distance, not least because of his famous temper.  But Hux was ever encroaching on his space.  He wasn’t so obvious that a direct order would be reasonable, just enough that it did not seem inappropriate if Hux offered his comments on reports before Kylo Ren did.  Addressing it directly would invite open competition, so he satisfied himself with more subtle retaliation.  Like communications being cut off when his former rival was mid-rant, data screens shattering near him without warning, or intelligence missives no longer being encoded properly.

Lieutenant Basout was giving a report on the outer rim planet they had most recently acquired.  It was difficult to pay attention – he had heard the same report many times since becoming Supreme Leader.  It would be handled much like the others, with little input on his part.  The disastrous engagement on Crait had resulted in his tactical leadership qualities being brought into question by the older officers; though these tended to not to be fond of Hux, either.  He was likely still in power because he was better than the alternative.  Particularly given his willingness to delegate – he had little interest in the details of ruling the galaxy.

As expected, Hux gave the usual orders about the new acquisition and Lieutenant Basout went off to follow them.  Lieutenant Mitaka came forward to present next and the Supreme Leader tried not to become too outwardly interested.

“What of the girl?” Hux prompted coldly.

“There are stories circulating about the Last Jedi and how powerful she is.  Assassinating our previous Supreme Leader has made her into a figurehead for the Resistance, with all the superstitious ideas that go along with it.  We have had very little new intelligence,” he admitted.  “Her background on Jakku is known but lacks any indication of her abilities.  A slaver called Plutt, who bought her, was unable to provide anything enlightening.  If she was working with the Resistance or otherwise affiliated before leaving the planet, we don’t know.”

Hux waved his hand dismissively.  “I don’t care much about her history, except how she managed to kill our guards and Supreme Leader unaided.”

He didn’t look at the current Supreme Leader when he spoke.  Everyone carefully avoided doing so when Snoke’s death came up.  There was only so much Kylo could do to suppress people’s thoughts about it, but he had made it clear it was not to be discussed openly.

“The records, sir, are being pieced together from the wreck of the Supremacy, but we have not had the manpower to make much progress,” Mitaka replied pointedly.  Hux fixed him with a glare, so he continued.  “There have been no definitive sightings of her since then.”

“So, what, she just disappeared?” Hux wanted to know.

Mitaka glanced at the Supreme Leader and back to Hux.  “I suspect she is with the Resistance, sir.  We have experienced a few acts of sabotage that might have been perpetrated by them, but we have found no direct representations of their movement for some time.”

“Supreme Leader, some of your officers, like the Lieutenant here, believe that the Resistance is no longer a substantial threat.  That, regardless of what happened to our former Leader, our resources would be better spent on other things.  What do you think?” Hux asked, all supercilious condescension.

It made Kylo Ren’s skin crawl, but he took care not to show his disgust on his face while he answered.  “The Rebellion destroyed two Death Stars and decimated the Empire with a fraction of our predecessors’ resources.  We have not gained enough of a foothold in the galaxy to rival the Empire.  The Resistance does not need manpower when it is believed to have moral superiority, represented by the Last Jedi.  Ignoring that will only make our work harder.  If the Resistance were destroyed, many systems will be more amenable to our rule.”

Hux looked smugly at Mitaka, who frowned in return.  “Perhaps, Supreme Leader, your reputation as the Jedi Killer could be put to use in this situation,” Hux replied confidently.

Kylo Ren sat back on his throne and leveled his gaze at the general, challenging him to suggest that he leave his role as their leader to hunt their enemies.

A long moment passed with the two staring each other down before Hux relented and glanced away.  “Or, perhaps, your Knights would be of use.”

“The Knights of Ren?”

“Yes, Supreme Leader.  I am sure they would be most helpful if sent for.”

Kylo Ren watched him carefully, assessing.  “Send for them, then.”

Pleased, Hux gave Mitaka a dismissive gesture.  “Any results from our probe droids?”

“None, sir,” another officer, Aryss replied from her station.

“And General Organa?  Has she resurfaced?”

There was a crash as a few of the data screens on the walls dropped abruptly to the floor.  The silence that followed was brief before an officer muttered a few apologies and sent for the Stormtroopers on duty to clean up the mess.  No one commented on the incident, which had been increasing in frequency of late.  Hux just looked annoyed and repeated his question impatiently after he saw that the problem was being handled.

A nervous officer called Sapan responded to the query.  “We are gathering all of the footage of her that we can from the HoloNet, but it is difficult to determine which are the most recent.  And the location from them.”

Hux snorted in distaste.  “Well, keep at it.  Have you found anything of use from after she stepped down as Senator?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Let’s see those, then.”

Sapan dutifully spent a few moments setting up the holo, then the projection of General Organa appeared in the center of the floor.  Everyone watched in silence as the officer explained each entry.

“Here she is, announcing her retirement to the Senate.  We have identified several sympathizers from the  footage who have proven to be allies of hers.  Here is a brief one from Chandrila, her home, from quite recently.”

The Supreme Leader shifted in his throne, fists clenching tightly on the armrests, though Hux’s attention was on the holos.  No one else appeared to notice.

A few more images of her flashed by, none of them lasting long or of apparent tactical importance, since Sapan did not explain them.  And then –

“Ben, I’ve been trying to reach you.  I’m sure – I hope that you and Luke are getting along, and your training is going well.  I wanted to tell you…  You’ve heard the news, of course.  I’m sorry you had to hear about it that way.  I wanted to tell you myself.  I was trying to protect you, but I was wrong.  You deserve to know where you came from.  Where we came from. But it doesn’t need to define us, Ben.  Please come home.  We miss you.”


	2. That's enough, now dry your tears, it's been a long eleven years

Poe Dameron was not the sole leader of the Resistance, but Leia had put him in charge.  Even before she had gone to help with rebuilding the Republic, her faith in him had been clear.  The Resistance had been much reduced then, and leadership had been easy.  Now that it had increased to a significant force, he found himself a bit overwhelmed.  The others who had survived on Crait had been put in leadership roles, and he counted on Finn and Rose specially to give informed opinions on their respective fields.

The Last Jedi was something of a mystery to him.  He had seen her in action more than once, and that was certainly impressive, but she continued to reject responsibilities when he tried to grant them to her.  She claimed a need to read her Jedi books or to train, and that other tasks would be better handled by someone else.  Maybe she was right.  Still, for someone who seemed so eager to please, it was strange that she did not seek out more opportunities to do so.

He ruminated while he oversaw preparations – transports being packed with supplies and manpower to be taken to the cruisers that had just returned and lingered in the outer atmosphere.  Kaydel stood at his side, as ever, probably his most reliable officer.  She had worked closely with Leia for most of the latter’s career and could provide great insight into what Leia would do.  He was glad to have her.

“That’s the last transport,” she said.  “All crew and supplies have been accounted for.”

He smiled.  “We’d better get going, then.”

 

It was difficult to breathe.  The Supreme Leader endured the rest of the reports, hearing nothing, feeling like the world around him was narrowing down to a point.  When, finally, they were finished, he got to his feet and stalked off of the bridge.  If Hux or anyone else questioned where he was going, he didn’t respond, focused as he was on the sanctuary of his quarters.

She was alive.  Alive!  How could that be?  He had felt it – had seen her thrown into space.  But Hux thought she was still alive.  Enough to have dedicated agents searching for her.  If she was still alive then – then –

He dared not think any further.  It hadn’t changed anything before – a year ago, five years ago – knowing she was alive.  Why would it matter now?

Sinking onto a seat against the wall in his room, he waved a hand to seal the door.  It would not do to be seen like this, he thought as he hunched over to bury his face in his hands.

His mother was alive.  Alive and had been searching for him.  Alive and had wanted to help him when he found out who his grandfather was.  Alive and wanted him to come home – or had, anyway.  Would she still?  Even after he’d – after he’d killed – killed his father.  For Snoke.

Snoke was dead.  Snoke and his lies and manipulations and ideas about destiny – all dead.  He had gotten everything he thought he’d wanted.  He had succeeded where even his grandfather had failed – the galaxy was under his rule.  There was no one above him and little real opposition.  He’d burned everything else down – the Jedi, the Sith, Skywalker and Snoke were all gone.  But it was meaningless.  Hux took a little more of his power every day and he couldn’t bring himself to care.  If this was his destiny, it wasn’t worth it.

If she was alive, and still fighting, and if Rey – well, if there was a chance to change things, would he take it?

 

Cloud City was unlike anywhere Rey had ever seen.  It was, quite literally, a city in the clouds.  She was glad Chewie was there to help fly given her distracted state.  “Why is it up here?” she asked him.

He shrugged eloquently and she smiled.  “You’ve been here before?”

A nod was all she got from that, so she focused on getting them successfully onto the landing area.  No hangar bays here.  No crushing force overhead that kept her from getting a good night’s sleep.  No, instead she could worry about how far down you could fall before finally hitting the ground, if there even was such a thing.

She swallowed at the thought and was not looking forward to getting out of the Falcon.  But it was her duty to assist the Resistance in any way that she could, so she helped Chewie go through the process of powering everything down.  Then they joined their passengers on the platforms outside.

The Resistance could not longer all fit aboard the Millennium Falcon.  They had several cruisers, though these had been left in orbit while smaller transport ships brought down their people – a suggestion from Finn, no doubt.  Having a way to leave was a tactical necessity.

Whatever adventures Chewie had had here before, he was disinclined to discuss them with her, which was somewhat foreboding.  Still, Poe had assured everyone that these people were their allies, so she would give them a chance.

“Seems pretty uninhabited here,” Finn said conversationally as she joined him and Rose.

“It was evacuated during the Rebellion.  It’s been rebuilding since then,” Rose offered.  They looked at her in surprise.  “Mining is an industry that tends to keep tabs on each other,” she explained.  “I heard all about this place as a child.”

“What did you hear?” Rey asked.

She shrugged, seeming embarrassed.  “We all wished we were here instead, with Lando Calrissian in charge of us instead of the people who were.  Even before they sold us out to the First Order,” she added softly.

“Lando Calrissian?” Finn repeated with a slight frown.

“The Rebellion general?” Rey guessed, excited at the prospect of meeting another of her heroes.  Even if the past meetings hadn’t all gone exactly the way she would have hoped.

Chewie grumbled something under his breath, but before Rey could question him, Poe Dameron called everyone’s attention.

“We are here as guests of General Calrissian.  He is not here right now, but has vouched for his people and will provide us a safe place to hide out for a while.  Lodging is still being arranged, but the mess hall is this way,” he said with a grin.

A ragged cheer went up and the Resistance filed after him into the city itself.  Rey had not been to many cities in her life, and certainly none with such a unique design.  She tried to remember her path so that she could return to the Falcon in a hurry if need be, but the twisting hallways were significantly more difficult to navigate than the endless sand dunes of her youth.

Rose and Finn were chatting and Poe hung back to walk with them as Rey admired the new sights.  There wasn’t much to see out the windows, except for clouds.  But the architecture was pleasant and something about it niggled at the back of her mind.

“Our quarters are ready if you want to sneak off to them with me,” Poe said to the three of them when most of the others had gotten ahead.

“Preferential treatment?” Finn asked, raising his eyebrows.

Poe shook his head with a laugh.  “No, we don’t have the best rooms.  But I wanted ones that were near the center of the city so I can keep an eye on our people and theirs.  And of course I included my best generals and the Last Jedi in my request,” he proclaimed.

Rose snorted.  “I’m sure we appreciate it.”

BB-8, apparently having a diagram of the city, led them down what were likely maintenance hallways and Rey was thinking she might need to have the droid continue to escort her during their stay so she didn’t get lost.  Suddenly, she halted, staring.

“I know this place,” she whispered reverently.  The hallway had dark walls instead of the pristine white of the rest of the place.  But it was intimately familiar for some reason – she could practically hear an echoing voice screaming “No!”  The Force hit her with memory of emotional and physical pain.  She dropped to her knees, shutting her eyes to keep the decades-old trauma that had happened here from overwhelming her.

“Rey?  Rey!” Finn’s voice invaded her thoughts and she gasped for air.

It felt like swimming up from a deep pool to see her friends around her, all looking concerned.  “It’s… it’s fine,” she told them.  “I’m just… tired.”

Rose and Poe exchanged a look while Finn helped her to her feet.  “We all are,” he said with forced cheerfulness.  “Let’s go get some rest.  Poe?”  Nodding, the older man led the way.

The rest of the trip was silent – concern on her friends’ parts and dismay on her own.  She hadn’t felt the Force so strongly in a while.  Something best kept to herself, of course.  Her own ability to use the Force had not seemed to diminish, but she had not felt like she was its conduit since – well, since Crait, probably.

Rey’s quarters turned out to be a little isolated from her friends’ by a hallway, but she didn’t mind.  It would help her sort out her thoughts if she didn’t have to feel theirs through the Force quite so clearly.

“We’re all just down the hall if you need anything,” Finn was telling her gently.

Paying attention to his words was difficult, but she forced a smile and nodded.  “Thank you.  I’m sure I just need to rest.”

He nodded and she was left alone at last.  The quarters were small, but she hadn’t had a room to herself since she left Ahch-To.  Or really any time to herself since then.  Clearly this was a good time to meditate, an important part of a Jedi’s life that she may have been neglecting lately.  Resolutely, she settled down to do so, hoping it would calm her tumultuous feelings.

 

General Hux stood on the bridge, surveying the empty space before him.

“Sir, Iton Ren is making contact.  Shall I patch her through?” one of the underlings asked.

“Yes,” he responded tersely, turning around.

A holo of the woman appeared before him and he clasped his hands behind his back.

“General,” she said in a measured tone.

“The Supreme Leader requests you return to base at once.”

There was a pause as she considered this, and he detested that her mask prevented him from reading her expression.  “Does he?  Or do you?”

Hux glared.  “Gather the Knights and report in to my location.  That’s an order, Ren.”

She nodded and faded.  Hux returned to looking out, though with less confidence now.

 

Meditation required focusing on the Force and allowing it to move through oneself.  Rey could feel it around her but couldn’t gain to access it.  Her brow furrowed as she applied herself.  Just as she was feeling success, she realized that the sounds around her seemed to have disappeared and her own breathing was clear over the muted background noise.  She opened her eyes hastily.  She was not alone.

Across the room, appearing to be seated on the single chair in the room, was the Supreme Leader of the First Order.  Ben.  He was hunched over and his face was in his hands.  Sensing her, he looked up.

The moment stretched while they stared at each other and she thought of the first time they had been connected like this.  Shock, confusion, dismay – churning emotions vibrated in the Force and she didn’t know if they were hers or his.  His eyes were red, like he’d been crying.  Steeling herself, she sat up a little straighter and clamped down on her feelings.

“I thought this was over,” she said, pleased to find that her voice did not waver.

He was silent for long enough that she began to doubt he would respond.  “So did I,” he said at last, holding her gaze with his usual intensity.

Resisting the urge to look away, she cleared her throat.  “Did you trigger this?”

“I don’t know.”

“But you might have?” she pressed.  There was a name for this – a Force Bond.  She had read about it, but the examples were not exactly like what she had experienced.  Whether Snoke had caused the bond to happen or not, it was not the same for them as it was in any of the accounts she’d read.  She had been distressed to learn that it was likely permanent, with no way to destroy it without one of them dying.  The longer they went without connecting, the more she had tried to convince herself that it a good thing.  That maybe it was over, that things would be less complicated.  And that it wasn’t something about which she should feel disappointed.

His mouth worked in a way that had become familiar to her.  “I…”  He cleared his throat and straightened.  “Our previous interactions were usually when we were alone.  And perhaps… emotionally compromised,” he explained slowly.

She watched him, considering the effects of the time apart.  Being Supreme Leader did not appear to be everything he’d hoped.  “I haven’t been alone in a while,” she said abruptly.

“You haven’t?  Why not?”

Her teeth clenched and she shook her head tightly, refusing to answer.

Something tugged at the corner of his lips, like he might be considering smiling.  “You’re not going to shout sensitive tactical information this time?”

With some chagrin, she supposed that flaunting her success at finding Luke Skywalker might not have been the wisest decision when she was on Ahch-To.  “No,” she replied coolly.

He nodded and looked away from her at last.  How long might they have?  The connections had been of varying lengths before, though she had felt some ability to cause them to end when she wished.  Did she want to now?  Part of her might, but what if they would never be connected again?  Resolving this, one way or another, would be a preferable.

“Rey.”  His gaze remained fixed on the floor and she wondered with some concern if he could actually see it.  Or if its appearance was that of his own floor to him.

“Ben,” she replied, her voice gentler in spite of herself.

A shudder passed through him.  “Rey, there is something I need to know,” he murmured.

“What is it?”

“Is my mother alive?”  His voice was barely more than a whisper, as if he was afraid to speak it out loud, afraid to know the answer.

It was hard, so hard, not to immediately tell him.  Not to remind him that he still had a parent who loved him, who would welcome him home if he chose to come back.  But she had waited, trusting the Force.  And while this might be the moment she had been waiting for, it was best to protect herself, not put herself or the Resistance at risk in the hope that he would turn.

General Organa was working, rebuilding the Republic and finding resources for the Resistance.  Getting them ways to spread their influence across the galaxy.  Rey didn’t know where she was, specifically.  And merely confirming that she was alive couldn’t be that much of a tactical error, could it?  What could Ben do with that information?

“Rey?” he prompted softly, not flinching away from her scrutiny.

“Yes,” she admitted, gauging his reaction to the news.

His eyes closed and his hands tightened into fists in his lap.  “Are you sure?”

A flicker of panic rushed through her.  “Why?  Have you done something?”

He looked at her sharply, anguish rippling through the bond.  “No.  But I thought… I thought she was killed before… before I saw you.  Before this started happening,” he amended.

“You mean when you attacked the bridge and killed the leaders of the Resistance?” she clarified coldly, frightened by the change in his voice when he mentioned their bond. 

He nodded solemnly, accepting her blame.  It confused her, as usual.  Why did he never argue that he’d done bad things for a reason?  Or that they weren’t bad?  It didn’t make sense to do something if it only caused him more pain.

“She… was injured but recovered,” Rey relented, feeling torn.

“When did you last see her?”

Her eyes narrowed and she folded her arms over her chest, knowing better than to reply.

The desperate look in his eyes was hard to ignore, but he nodded after a moment.  “You’re right; that’s not something you should tell me.”

“Exactly,” she agreed, somewhat relieved that he wouldn’t press her.

He cleared his throat and stood up, towering over her as he drew close and stopped no more than a foot away.  She resisted the urge to move, an effort made easier by the fact that she didn’t know which direction she wanted to go.

“Thank you.  For not killing me before you returned to the Resistance,” he said quietly.

She looked up at him sharply.  “I don’t want to kill you,” she told him flatly.

A moment passed while he considered this.  “What do you want?”

“Ben – ” she murmured when she was interrupted by a knock at her door, making her turn to look.  When she glanced back at Ben, he was gone.


	3. You're ashamed of where you're from, crying 'cause your father's drunk

“I’m sure she’ll be fine,” Rose reassured Finn as they stood outside of his quarters.

He glanced back toward Rey’s door and sighed.  “I hope so.  I don’t understand this Force stuff,” he admitted.

Rose nodded sympathetically.  “She knows what she’s doing.  Luke Skywalker trained her, after all.”

That brought a smile to his lips briefly.  “Yeah.  Too bad he disappeared after that.  We could have used him in this fight.”

“Well, we are about to have General Calrissian,” she said, eyes shining.

He looked at her sharply.  “What do you know about him?”

“He ruled this city fairly and joined the Rebellion when the General came here.  Before she was a general, of course.  He flew the Millennium Falcon to destroy the Second Death Star after Han Solo and the General brought down the shield protecting it,” she explained excitedly.

“He sounds great,” Finn replied dubiously.

She frowned slightly at him.  “He is.  After the Rebellion, he set this place up as a real community.  I’ve dreamed about coming here for years.”

He nodded slowly, looking at her thoughtfully.  “It really was terrible on Hays Minor?”

“Not always.  We never had much and the work was hard, but it wasn’t so bad until the First Order came,” she said softly.

“I’m sorry for that,” he replied sincerely and she gave him a watery smile.

“It wasn’t your fault.”

“Rose… I was part of the First Order.  For decades.”

She looked at him sternly.  “You had no part in any of that.  You couldn’t help what your superiors were doing.  They chose to hurt people – you made a different choice.”

Hesitantly, he reached up to touch her cheek.  “People don’t deserve your faith in them.  What have I done to make up for being part of the First Order?  Our plan to save the Resistance just got a lot of people killed.  I didn’t destroy Starkiller – Solo and Chewie and the fleet did that.  I couldn’t even rescue Rey from Kylo Ren.  I don’t… I don’t deserve to be considered a hero.”

Rose sighed softly, leaning into his touch.  “Maybe it’s not about what you deserve.  Maybe it’s just about what you are willing to do in the moments that matter.”

He leaned forward and kissed her lightly on the lips.  “You always know how to say the right thing,” he told her with a smile.

Flushing, she smiled back.

 

Poe left Rose and Finn talking in the hallway and headed back toward where the rest of his people were.  Kaydel had led them to get some food, as expected.  He joined her on the south side of the room and gave her a nod of approval.

“The kitchen staff might not be too fond of us, but everyone has something to eat.  Except for you,” she added, glancing at him shyly.

“Have you eaten?”

“No.”

“We’d better fix that then,” he said with a grin, gesturing for her to lead the way.  They walked through the crowd to the counter and selected from the meager options left after the bulk of the Resistance had picked through it.  “It’s like they haven’t eaten in a month,” he muttered.

Kaydel laughed.  “It’s been a long time since we’ve had anything but rations,” she explained.  “I’ve been dreaming about citros snow cake for, hmm, years, I think?”  There were a few slices remaining and she happily put several on her plate.

Poe shook his head in mock disappointment.  “I’m surprised at you, Connix.  I would have thought such a dedicated freedom fighter would be immune to the temptation of a home-cooked meal.”

“I’m so sorry to have disappointed you, sir.  How can I ever restore your faith in me?” she teased back.

“Share,” he said simply and pulled her plate toward him.

Laughing, she gave up a slice.  “Don’t be greedy,” she told him firmly when he reached for another.

“Fine, you win.  How about you take a plate to our resident Jedi?  She seems a little… out of sorts,” he explained haltingly, unsure how to describe what had happened in the hallway – or if he should tell anyone about it.  Kaydel was trustworthy, of course, but they were in a very crowded area.  He’d hate to lower morale by giving his people reason to question Rey’s abilities.

Kaydel nodded and hastily assembled a little of everything.  “There doesn’t seem to be anything she dislikes,” she said thoughtfully.

Poe smiled grimly.  From what he knew of Rey’s upbringing on Jakku, that was hardly surprising.  “I’m sure she’ll be happy with whatever you bring her.  Hurry back, though.  I’d hate to have to manage all these people on my own,” he added with a cheeky grin.

Laughter was Kaydel’s only response as she slipped away through the crowd.  It was easier to move through the dark hallways and she hurried to where the Jedi’s rooms were. 

She knocked on the Jedi’s door and waited.  It was likely her imagination that she had heard voices when she’d walked up.

“Kaydel,” the Jedi exclaimed when she opened the door, looking oddly distressed.

“Yes, Poe told me that you were not feeling well, so I brought you something to eat.”

The Jedi’s eyes lit up at that.  “Thank you, Kaydel,” she said, accepting the plate and looking down at it with a slight smile.

“Is there anything else I can do for you?”

The question seemed to be a surprise.  “No, not at all.  Thank you,” the Jedi said again, and closed the door.

Frowning slightly, Kaydel wondered if she’d interrupted something important.  She lingered a moment but the Jedi did not return or make any significant noise, so she shrugged and returned to the dining hall.

 

Rey pressed a hand to her chest and tried to calm her pounding heart.  It was just Kaydel.  Poe’s second in command, or assistant, or something – the chain of command wasn’t something she really understood.  A friend, in any case.  A friend who had brought her dinner.  That was an important thing to Rey and she considered what she could do to repay it.  Even if it had halted her conversation and startled her.

Had Ben not known his mother was alive?  Apparently so.  And it evidently had a much greater effect on him than she would have expected.  It couldn’t be coincidence that this was the first time she had seen him since Crait, when he’d been kneeling before her.  He’d looked devastated then, watching her in shock, waiting for her to make the first move.  And she didn’t think she’d made the wrong one, but today…  Today he hadn’t looked devastated.  It had been more like – like a revelation.

Or maybe not.  She shouldn’t try to analyze him, she cautioned herself as she ate.  If the Force willed it, she should be able to tell what to do.  How to handle the situation.  Focus on the Force, not on her own personal feelings.  Those were unreliable.  They’d gotten her tortured by Snoke and broken her lightsaber.  The repairs for which were not working the way she wanted.

When she finished eating, she pulled the lightsaber pieces out of her bag and carefully assembled them on the table by the wall.  Some of the casing had obvious enough issues that she had mended, but she knew very little about the Kyber crystal and its use.  There hadn’t been any of them on Jakku and her books had mentioned them only rarely so far.

Her nerves were still unsettled, so she pulled out one of the Jedi texts and applied herself to its contents.  It was slow going, with much of the information conveyed in lettering she didn’t know, and she had resorted to carefully copying the text into Aurebesh on blank paper.  Paper was rare and she had only learned to write out of boredom.  Once, she had discovered a ship with a considerable stash of the stuff and found that no one wanted to buy it from her.  Not wanting it to go to waste, she had used it herself.  She’d drawn and practiced the alphabet she had learned because taking apart ships was easier if you knew what the labels said.

A brief walk to fetch more paper from the Falcon and drop off her dinner things at the kitchen, and she was ready to work.  The process was becoming easier and she no longer needed C-3PO to translate characters for her.  She might need him to explain phrases, but that could wait until later.  This part of the task was calming – learning what it actually said tended to be less so.

“That’s a zex.”

Rey jumped out of her seat, wishing she had thought to put her blaster close by.

Ben had been looking over her shoulder, but he did not move when she jumped away.  “It’s a zex not an osk,” he repeated, gesturing toward her work.

“What are you doing here?” she hissed, glancing toward the door she’d foolishly left open.  But how was she to suspect that she’d see him again so soon after such a long absence?

He looked slightly annoyed at the question.  His posture was no longer one of despair and his face looked much calmer than when she’d last seen it, surprising given the short amount of time it had been.  “You know I don’t have an answer for that.”

Her eyes narrowed and she glanced at the text and back to him.  “You can see them?”

Shaking his head, he looked around the room.  “I can’t see it anymore.  Maybe it was just because you were touching it,” he offered thoughtfully, like a student analyzing a puzzle.

She continued to frown at him and he shrugged.

“Can you see my surroundings?”

“No.  Just you,” she muttered, evaluating whether something in here could be used to indicate where she was.

“Have you given any thought to what you want?” he continued, regarding her in that way of his.  The one that made it seem like nothing else mattered to him at all.

She looked away, biting her lip.  “Have you?”

“Yes.”

That brought her attention back to his face, searching for some clue of what he would say.  “What?”

He didn’t answer for a long moment, studying her in return.  “What did you see?”

“When?”

His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed.  “When we… touched before Skywalker interrupted us,” he explained reverently.

“What did you see?” she countered, realizing it came out as a whisper.

He took a step toward her and met her gaze.  “I saw your past for the first time when we met on Starkiller.  I saw more of it, and maybe the future.”

“What did you see?” she repeated.

His mouth worked again before he answered.  “I saw you.  Standing with me.”

She nodded because he seemed to be waiting for some response.

“Which you did, after I killed Snoke.  All that I saw has already happened.  Is that the same for you?”

There was something that resembled hope in his expression.  Like he had accepted his fate because he saw no way beyond it, and now thought she might know an alternative.  What she had seen was a secret she had kept to herself, hardly daring to think about it, hiding it from everyone around her.  The thought of finally letting it free was definitely tempting.

“No,” she admitted.

His eyes widened and she thought he might want to move closer still, covering the scant space between them, but he didn’t.  “Rey… Please tell me.”

“Why?” she whispered.

Jaw clenching in frustration, he tore his gaze away to briefly survey their surroundings, then returned to staring at her.  “Because it wasn’t a trick – you coming to the Supremacy.  Luke didn’t send you.  You came on your own, so it must have been important to you.  And, maybe, if I knew what you saw, I would understand why you tried to attack me with my grandfather’s lightsaber when all I did was ask you to stay.  After I killed my master for you.”

The raw emotion in his voice, as well as the sentiment, brought tears to her eyes and she sniffed.  “I didn’t try to attack you,” she insisted.

“No?  Then what were you doing?”

She hesitated, shocked at the hurt and betrayal on his face.  And at her reaction to it.  “I just…  I knew I couldn’t stay with you.  And I didn’t want to leave without it.  I wasn’t going to hurt you, unless…” she petered off, uncomfortable.

“Unless I wouldn’t let you leave?” he finished, not accusingly, but radiating self-loathing.

In spite of that, she nodded.  “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“Me too,” he replied, seeming deflated and ashamed.

The expression on his face gave her hope.  Maybe, just maybe, her vision could still come true.  Maybe she didn’t just have to wait on the Force to fix things.  “I saw your future.  It was… with me.  We had a… we were a family,” she admitted.  It was a relief to say it.  Though that relief was short-lived as she saw the way his expression changed to shock and dismay.

“A family?” he echoed very quietly, his eye twitching slightly like it often seemed to do when he was suppressing strong emotions.  Emotions she could still feel, roiling in the Force.

She took a deep breath.  “Yes.  I think… I think your mother was there,” she added, coloring at the reminder of her need for a parent and the memory of his opinion on the subject.

All the breath seemed to go out of him in a rush and he stared at her.  “Rey.  Do you think that’s possible?  That she would ever forgive me?”

She didn’t know the General all that well, though they had instantly bonded because they shared a Force sensitivity.  Not the same way she had with Leia’s son, of course.  In any case, from what Rey had seen, she was willing to give second chances.

“I think so,” she offered.

“Could you?”

Flustered, she refused to meet his gaze.  Could she?  If the future she had seen was going to happen, if the Force had shown her the truth, then forgiving him could lead to happiness.  Lasting happiness, maybe.  Slowly, but resolutely, she reached up to tenderly run a finger down the scar on his face, feeling a tremor go through him at her touch.

“I may,” she told him.

“When?” he asked raggedly, holding very still.

“When you come home,” she said simply.

“Rey,” he whispered, turning his head to press his lips to her palm, featherlight.

“Ben.”

A soft sound escaped her as he vanished and she tried to suppress the tangled emotions that felt like they were choking her.

 

Hungry, Rose left her room and went in search of a snack.  When she returned, she paused near Rey’s door, surprised to hear voices within.  Had Finn joined their friend?  Or maybe Poe?  She leaned in close to listen and frowned when she couldn’t identify the voice, other than that it was unmistakably male.

Berating herself even as she did so, she slowly moved forward to peer inside.  Rey’s hand was resting against the cheek of a man dressed in black.  A man Rose recognized as the Supreme Leader of the First Order.  Shocked and dismayed, she had the presence of mind to silently slip by, hurrying to the safety of her room room to consider what to do with this revelation.


	4. We can't die because we're young; at least, that's what we heard in a song

General Hux stood in the landing bay of the First Order’s current largest ship, where they had their base of operations.  He watched as a small craft, about the size of a shuttle but of a non-standard design, made its approach.  His hands were clasped behind his back and a contingent of Stormtroopers was in formation nearby.  The Supreme Leader, he’d assured everyone, did not need to be present for this meeting.

There was a tense silence as the ship powered down and everyone waited for the occupants to emerge.  When they did, there were only three of them – Iton Ren, Qipo Ren, and Zyot Ren.  Each was clothed in quilted black armor and wore a mask like their master used to do.  Still, Iton and Zyot were clearly females of whatever species they might be.  All had a lightsaber on their belts and no other weapons.  They approached Hux immediately, disregarding his escort.

“You summoned us, General,” Iton said in a tone bordering on insolence.

“Where are the others?” Hux demanded.

“They are… unavailable,” Zyot explained in a tone that brooked no further questioning.  The idea of what might have caused the most powerful Force-users in the galaxy to be unavailable was chilling.

With a frown, Hux nodded tightly.  “We will discuss that with the Supreme Leader.  Right this way, please.”

He didn’t wait for them to respond, but turned smartly and headed back toward the bridge.  The Knights exchanged a look before following him at a distance.  Any officers or Stormtroopers who happened to be in the corridors through which they passed hastily found another route.  The officers on the bridge watched with some apprehension as Hux and the Knights appeared and the latter began looking around.

“Now, I’m sure you have heard of our troubles with the Resistance and the Last Jedi, as she’s being called,” Hux began.

“Where is our Master?” Qipo interrupted with some impatience.

Hux’s expression of disdain turned to one of outrage.  “Listen here,” he began.

Iton stepped in between them and lifted a hand.  Hux’s hands went immediately to his own throat as he began to gasp.  She released him swiftly.  “You understand, of course, that we do not answer to the infrastructure of the First Order.  We serve the Supreme Leader and the Master of the Knights of Ren.  Perhaps we could speak with one of them instead, General,” she said almost gently.

With some effort, Hux swallowed his fear and anger, and smiled tightly.  “That is what I would like to discuss with you.  Perhaps you would be willing to acquiesce to a private meeting, right this way?”

The three of Knights glanced at each other again, then Iton nodded.  They followed him into an adjoining room and he sealed the door.

“The Supreme Leader is dead.  Lord Snoke.  Did you know?”

“No,” Iton answered coolly, glancing toward the others, who had no visible reaction.

“Your master, Kylo Ren, has replaced him.  And claims that the girl calling herself a Jedi killed our Leader and all of the Praetorian guards after rendering him unconscious.”

“You don’t believe that?” Zyot asked, studying her gloved hands nonchalantly.

“No.  The Supremacy was destroyed in an attack from the Resistance at about the same time, so the recordings we’ve managed to salvage are unclear on the events prior to the attack.  But some of the Stormtroopers who witnessed her arrival on the Supremacy report that there was little animosity between them,” Hux ground out.

The Knights processed this in silence for a moment.  “You think they conspired to kill Snoke together?” Qipo asked.

“I think the First Order could use your help eradicating the Jedi.  And perhaps replacing the Supreme Leader with someone less compromised.”

Iton stepped forward and looked him in the eye.  “We would not willingly betray our Master.  Not without good reason.  Have you any proof of his treachery?”

“Perhaps you can use the Force to find some,” Hux replied condescendingly.

“We will keep your suggestion in mind, General.  In the meantime, I think I know of a way to help with your Jedi problem that could bring a swift end to your enemies,” Zyot told him.

The two other Knights turned to look at her sharply.  “You think she can get to it when we could not?” Qipo asked doubtfully.

Zyot nodded.  “As you know, getting to it isn’t the problem,” was her smug response.

“How will we get her to go after it?” Iton asked.

“Leave that to me.”

 

Rose sat with Finn, Poe, and several other officers in a small conference room.  Her giddiness was difficult to contain, despite her earlier worries.

“He’ll be here soon,” Finn said reassuringly, smiling at her in amusement.

Her returning smile was self-effacing.  Meeting one’s heroes seldom turned out well, if Rey should be believed.  Not to mention her own experience meeting Resistance hero The Finn, though that did seem to be turning out rather better than her expectations.  The initial interaction had been a disappointment, she reminded herself, and she had better reconsider her hopes for the encounter with the famous Lando Calrissian.

When the door slid open, she held her breath.  There were holos from the Rebellion that featured all of its heroes, including General Calrissian, but those were older than she was.  So she was prepared to see an old man.  The debonair gentleman who swept in with a cape and a cane was not exactly what she expected.

“Welcome,” he said with an infectious smile.  “I’m glad to host such an intrepid group of people, if the stories I’ve heard are true.  Hopefully things will go better than they did the last time I hosted some rebels,” he added, grinning at a member of his entourage, who smiled back.

“We are honored to be in the presence of one of the greatest generals in the Rebellion,” Poe told him, shaking his hand enthusiastically.

Lando waved off the compliment and Poe motioned for him to have a seat.  Introductions were done and Rose struggled to pay attention during them.  In the end, all she could do was shyly smile when Poe said her name and hope she didn’t seem like too much of a laser brain.  It was fortunate she didn’t have to say anything right away.

“A pleasure to meet all of you, I’m sure,” Lando said when they were finished.  “I’m looking forward to getting to know you and hope we can offer a safe haven until this conflict is finished.  Now, what do you need from me?”

“A haven is exactly what we need while we rebuild our forces,” Finn told him a little abruptly.  Rose was surprised to hear him voice his opinion so early in the meeting.

 Poe cleared his throat, looking consternated.  “Yes, well, that is very important.  General Organa is searching for more allies and resources, but having a safe home base will be much appreciated.  Our last one had to be evacuated when a probe droid dropped into the atmosphere.”

Lando nodded, his easy smile replaced by a serious expression.  “Those are an unfortunate piece of technology for our enemies to have,” he agreed.  “But I will not allow anything those worthless creatures produce to come onto my planet.”

“That’s good to know,” Poe said, sounding relieved.  “We called this meeting because we do have some needs.  Kaydel?”

The girl got to her feet quickly, looking a little flushed.  “The medical supplies are dangerously low and a few of our people were still convalescing when we had to move them.  Might we, sir, be able to use some of your facilities?” she asked awkwardly.

Lando reached out to pat her hand.  “Of course, we can arrange that right away, Lieutenant Connix,” he told her smoothly.  “Although, I have heard that some Jedi can use the Force for healing.  Perhaps your Jedi could also help?”

“Perhaps,” she replied, sounding like she wasn’t really listening.  He grinned at her and she blushed, returning to her seat hastily.

Poe stared at her in confusion for a moment before continuing.  “Well,” he said slowly, “we also have very little in the way of weaponry.  Most of our cache has just been blasters to protect our people on sabotage missions.  We have no ability to make any kind of stand against the First Order.”

Lando considered this.  “We do not keep many weapons here, I’m afraid.  Leia knows that, of course, and I suspect will be on the lookout for allies who can provide sufficient firepower.  Certainly we won’t be making any last stands against the First Order anytime soon,” he added in a knowing tone.

Poe frowned slightly at the possible reference to Crait.  “I… I’m sure you’re right.  I hope we won’t find it necessary to hide for very long, though.”

“We’re not hiding,” Finn cut in, his fed-up tone an obvious indication that this was not the first time a discussion on the topic had come between them.

Lando looked surprised as Poe sighed.  “We can’t wait forever.  The First Order is gaining power and taking over more planets all the time.  Every day we spend hiding out instead of fighting back is another step closer to losing the galaxy entirely to those monsters,” Poe insisted, voice raising.

“There is a time to act and a time to wait,” Lando cut in gently.  “I was impulsive in my youth and it caused the Jedi fighting for what became my cause to lose a hand.  I don’t think you will regret waiting for the right time to strike, General Dameron.”

The effect of his words was instantaneous and everyone calmed down.  Poe nodded.  “I apologize, General.  It has been difficult to wait for the opportunity to get revenge for the loss of so many of our people,” he explained.

Rose shuddered slightly.  She hated to think about how many of those losses were really as much her fault, and Finn’s, and Poe’s, as they were the First Order’s.  If they had just trusted in the Admiral, things would have ended differently.  Maybe the plan would have worked and they would have stolen away to Crait without being noticed.  They wouldn’t have lost such a powerful ally as Skywalker, dying to defend them.  Defending them from Kylo Ren.  She stiffened, thinking of what she had seen the night before.  She had never seen their enemy in person, but surely that had been him?  What had really happened aboard the Supremacy?

“Rose,” Finn hissed, bumping her with his elbow.

She flushed, aware that everyone was looking at her. 

“General Dameron said you had a request,” Lando explained with a charming smile.  It did nothing to lessen the heat in her face.

“Yes, sir.  I was – I mean, our cruisers have gone a long while without upkeep.  I could use some supplies and any mechanics you may have to get them ready,” she managed to say.

He nodded.  “I’d be happy to meet with you later to discuss specifics,” he said and she flushed again.  “I look forward to our future endeavors,” he continued, getting to his feet.  “My people have matters that require my attention at the moment, but I hope to be of further service in the future.”  He gave a slight bow and swept out with his assistants in tow.

 

Rey had found a large room and was using it to practice her staff techniques.  Obviously, a lightsaber would be preferable, but she had gotten fed up with it today.  She needed to blow off steam now and couldn’t wait to complete that project.  No one had ever taught her how to use a staff – or any weapon.  But having something with which to defend yourself was essential on Jakku, so she had taught herself.   

In her books, there had been diagrams and descriptions of basic forms that would increase one’s abilities to commune with the Force.  She had not attempted any of these yet, mainly due to the cramped and crowded nature of her living quarters since she had acquired the books.  Well, stolen them, really.  But no one was using them and she tended to pick up things that could be useful to her.  Scavenging, like fixing broken things or protecting what was hers, was a part of her now.

There wasn’t a table in this area, which was one reason she’d selected it in order to train.  As a result, though, she had to put the book on the floor and that definitely made her feel a little blasphemous.  Perhaps, if she just hurried, it would be alright.  Emptying her mind of the thoughts that were threatening to overwhelm her, she focused on the forms.

It was comforting to be able to do this, knowing it was something that thousands of Jedi before her had done.  That she wasn’t completely alone in the galaxy.  Even if the Jedi’s legacy was failure, as Luke claimed, there had been positive actions, too.  There had been peace and some level of prosperity for a thousand years under their guidance.  If they lost their way a bit at the end, well, it was still impressive in her mind.

After a while, the forms seemed to come more naturally.  She was having to check with the book less and less while a feeling of calm permeated her being.  Yes, there was a reason people did these.  It was certainly working.

Suddenly, the open space around her changed to a muddy field, with clouds gathering overhead.  There were craggy outcroppings of rock but nothing else marred the dirt landscape.  Nothing appeared to be living anywhere and it was quite desolate.  Something about it pulled at her and she stepped forward hesitantly.

A cave was up ahead and green light shone out of it, while whispers called her name.  Slowly, she moved toward it.  It flashed blindingly and, when she blinked, she was back in Cloud City, though the feeling of being called still remained.  Frowning, she went to her book to investigate what that might have been about.

 

 “Do you think Poe has a problem with our host?” Finn asked as he walked with Rose.

“I think he’s more comfortable when he can actually do something instead of always preparing.  You know how he always takes a turn as a sentry, even though he’s really too high in a rank to be doing that,” she replied with a shrug.  “He doesn’t approve of waiting.”

“No, apparently not.”

Rose glanced at him then quickly looked away, color in her cheeks.  “What did you think of General Calrissian?”

He frowned at her.  “He seems nice.  Very accommodating, anyway,” he admitted.  Something about Calrissian rankled and he wasn’t sure what.  “What did you think?”

“I thought he was wonderful,” she replied with a dreamy expression.

Finn recalled how she’d looked at the man.  “He’s a little old for you,” he teased.

Her blush deepened.  “I don’t mean it like that, Finn!  He just… lived up to my expectations,” she added, returning his teasing tone.

“Oh, unlike me?” he wanted to know, folding his arms over his chest.

She giggled.  “Yeah, I don’t think I’ll have to forcibly persuade him from getting on an escape pod anytime soon.”

“Now, that’s not fair.  I was just trying to save our Jedi from harm.”

“You were running away, Finn,” she clarified and he had to look away, cut too deep to enjoy the teasing.  She stopped and touched his face gently.  “But you’re not anymore.”

“I have no reason to,” he replied, pulling her closer to him.  “You’re here.”

She smiled a little.  “You don’t want to run somewhere safe with me?”

He shook his head emphatically.  “There’s nowhere to go that would be safe.  Poe is right about the First Order spreading.  If there’s anything we can do to stop it, we have to.”

She nodded seriously.  “Do you regret what we did?  On Canto Bight and that plan.”

Pursing his lips, he looked away.  “Yes.  I hope…  I’m glad that Rey was doing what was necessary to save us.  And I hope we can make up for our choices.”  A distressed look crossed her face at that and he looked at her curiously.  “Rose, what is it?”

“Finn…  How well do you know Rey?”

“Better than anyone, I hope.  I think the training didn’t go exactly as planned with Skywalker, but she’s making do.  She’s doesn’t talk to me much about Force stuff, of course.  She’s an integral member of the Resistance even without that.  I told you how we met, right?  How she helped BB-8?”

“Yes, you’ve told me,” Rose answered, but she sounded a little distant.  Finn was about to press her to explain herself when the Jedi in question hurried up to them.


	5. You're ashamed of what you've done, crying 'cause your father's wrong

Home.  It had been a long time since Ben had been home, or even had a place to call that.  Chandrila was the name of the planet on which he’d been raised.  Back when his mother was a senator and his father had been making a legitimate living as a pilot.  He knew that Han Solo had returned to smuggling not so long after Ben had been sent to live with Luke.  It confirmed his fears that the only reason his parents were forced to stay together was because of him, despite of how little they had in common.

As a child, he had been precocious according to his mother and oversensitive according to his father.  His Force powers had manifested very early, resulting in things exploding whenever he got upset.  Which was often, as the ability to get in someone’s head was quite unpleasant when he couldn’t control it.  He was isolated from his peers to protect them, and finally isolated from everyone on a remote planet with his uncle.

There had been a dozen students at his uncle’s school, most around his age.  The pain of having been sent away was lessened by finally having people with whom he could actually relate.  It was something of a relief to learn that the families of his fellow students had also been afraid of what they could do.  How ever it had ended, being part of Luke’s school had been one of the only times he’d felt like he might be able to fit in somewhere.

They had treated him differently as the Master’s nephew, but not so much that he felt excluded.  When he woke in the middle of the night to find Luke Skywalker, galaxy-renowned hero and his own uncle, standing over him with lightsaber drawn…  Well, he hadn’t been completely without support after he climbed out of the rubble.  The night was mostly a blur, but he remembered distinctly the way they had all stared, confusion giving way to anger as he explained what happened.  About half were angry at him, the rest angry for him.  There had been a fight.  Someone set fire to the temple.  His side escaped.

Escaped with nowhere to go.  He couldn’t go home, not after what he’d done.  Not after what Luke had done – maybe at the behest of his parents?  There had been no word from home in a long, long time.  None of the others who remained had homes to return to, either.  They hadn’t gone to Snoke right away.  Though it had felt like delaying the inevitable at the time.  He was a monster, as his parents had always feared.  The news that his grandfather was Darth Vader only cemented what was already clear – why bother fighting what he was destined to be?  The Dark Side had always been calling to him and he had no reason not to answer.

Snoke had taken them in, given them titles and called him the Jedi Killer.  Even if the only Jedi he had ever faced were his fellow students when he was sick with fear and defending himself.  He’d killed some of them, he knew.  They had been his friends, but he’d killed them like the monster he was.  The monster Luke must have known he’d become.

Still, he hadn’t killed Skywalker.  And Snoke had reminded him constantly of his need to kill his former master as a right of passage.  His training on the Dark Side couldn’t be complete without that.  So he and his Knights had searched for Skywalker, who seemed to have disappeared completely from the galaxy.

Force signatures were faint but could be used to get some sense of where someone had been, if not where they were going.  The Knights had spent years gathering Force-powerful relics from dusty old temples and black markets to aid their search for the Last Jedi.  The closest they ever got was finding his old lightsaber, left protected with a group of Guardians of the Whills.  When they refused to give it up, they had attacked.  Killing people was getting easier by then, as long as he only let himself feel what they were thinking in terms of defending themselves.

Suddenly, just as they had nearly reached victory, a girl had appeared on the ground behind the clan leader.  She was dressed in white and scrambled away as he killed the man.  She stood blinking at them and he stepped closer.  Then she disappeared just as quickly as she had appeared.  His Knights questioned him about it, but he had no answer for them.

Not until years later.  Years of working for Snoke, of getting rid of any Knights who lost their zeal for the Dark Side, until the only person he could talk to was the memory of his grandfather.  When, finally, he’d seen her again.

She’d looked the same and he instantly recognized her while she was shooting at him.  He read her mind but could find nothing to indicate why he had seen her before.  So he made an excuse to keep her nearby until he could figure it out.  Which hadn’t worked, of course.  She’d escaped then and, later, when a droid had been fixing the wound she gave him, it had been no less shocking to have her suddenly appear before him for a second time.

And now… Now she thought she could forgive him.  That his mother would forgive him.  As if the Resistance would accept him with open arms.  Unlikely.  But maybe there was something he could do to earn his way back.  She wouldn’t stop fighting the First Order, no matter how guaranteed a victory on his side might be.  So he would just have to tip the scales.

 

There were a number of things in her books that fit the description of what she had seen in her vision, though Rey wasn’t sure which one.  Still, the vision must mean something.  It was a place she was supposed to go, obviously.  Even now, she could feel a low pulse calling her in what was presumably its direction.  She headed back to her room and packed the books and a few essentials, then went to find the others.

A meeting was going on, one which she had forgotten about.  Uncomfortably, she lingered in the hallway and waited for it to end, pacing back and forth to settle her nerves.  The tree on Ahch-to had called to her – or maybe the books had.  The lightsaber had called to her on Takodana.  But nothing had ever called to her from this distance.  She hoped it meant something even more significant than what had come before.

An older man with a cane left the meeting first, walking with several people who all seemed to be talking to him at once.  He paused and looked at her.

“Are you the Jedi?” he asked.

Surprised, she nodded and held out her hand.  “I’m Rey.”

He took her hand and kissed it, making her blush.  “I’m Lando Calrissian.  This is my mining colony and you are far more beautiful than I was led to believe,” he told her with a grin.

“I… thank you,” she offered hesitantly.  “No one’s ever called me that before.”

Shaking his head to indicate disappointment in mankind as a whole, he offered his arm for them to walk together.  She took it uncertainly.  “I find that difficult to believe.  The young men must be falling all over themselves to get to know such a powerful woman,” he asserted.

She thought of how most of the Resistance viewed her with awe because of her title.  Even Finn and Rose and Poe tended to see her as more of an infallible hero to be revered than anything else.  When they’d met, maybe Finn had been interested in her as a girl, but not after she’d returned from Ahch-To as a newly minted Jedi.  There was only one person who seemed to actually see her for who she was.

“Oh, I see.  They’re too worried about your Force-powers.  I wonder if that’s why Luke never married,” Lando continued when she didn’t answer. 

Rey realized they had walked some distance from the meeting room and glanced back over her shoulder toward it, wondering how to extricate herself from their host politely.

“I have no doubt that I’m keeping you from something, but I hoped we might get to talk.”  His entourage had remained at a distance but she could still feel their eyes on her.

“Of course,” she assented hesitantly.

He nodded and motioned toward a room nearby, then led the way inside.  Once she’d followed, he shut the door.  “Leia contacted me about having you all stay here and I agreed because I certainly owe her a favor or two.  But I was looking forward to speaking with you.”

Her brows furrowed in confusion.  “Me?”

“Yes.  I… I hear that you were there when Han died.”

Rey looked away, blinking rapidly at the memory.

“I can’t talk to Leia about it.  But I was hoping… you could tell me what happened.”

When she dared to glance back at him, he was regarding her with a solemn expression, charming façade stripped away.  She bit her lip as she considered how to explain everything.

“I know it’s hard.  But, if you tell me, I’ll tell you about Han.  Would you like that?”

Thinking of the Rebellion stories she used to love, she nodded.  “Where should I start?”

“When did you meet him?”

“Finn and I – you know Finn? – we were trying to escape Jakku with BB-8.  There were TIE-fighters and we  were running, and we wanted to get on this quadjumper, but the First Order blew it up.  So we had no choice but to get on this garbage ship, which turned out to be the Millennium Falcon.”

“Garbage?” he clarified, looking terribly offended.

She giggled in spite of herself.  “It’s a wonderful ship, but it looked pretty rough at the time.  Anyway, we managed to fly it off the planet and that’s when we got picked up.  We thought it was the First Order, but it was Han and Chewie.  They weren’t exactly happy to meet us.  They were hauling Rathtars for a Guavian Death Gang, I think?  Or maybe Kanji Klub?  Anyway, they tried to take over the freighter, but we escaped on the Falcon.  Han took us to Maz Kanata to get on a clean ship.  Do you know Maz?”

“Oh, yes, I do,” Lando replied with a fond expression. 

Rey frowned slightly at his tone but continued.  “You’ll have to ask Finn what happened on Takodana because I didn’t see Han again until they were on Starkiller Base to rescue me.”

“How did you get there?” he interrupted, looking concerned.

“I was… taken.  By Kylo Ren,” she explained.  She had never told anyone what had happened on the base after being captured.  Not how Kylo – Ben? – had acted, not the mind probe or her ability to turn it around, not how she had convinced the guard to let her go, not how she’d evaded capture until they had found her.

“I see.” 

She looked up at him sharply because his tone indicated that he did understand.  If he’d known Han and Leia, then perhaps he knew Ben.  “Anyway, they found me and we were about to escape when we realized the bombing run the Resistance was doing wasn’t working.  So we went back in to set the charges that helped destroy the base.”

“And then?” he asked gently when she didn’t continue.

A sigh escaped her.  “Then Han was killed and we escaped before it blew.”

“Thank you for telling me, Rey.  I’m glad to hear his last moments were heroic.”

She couldn’t bring herself to say what really happened, how he’d gone to confront the son he’d lost.  How that son had still killed him.  How his efforts might have made some kind of difference anyway.

Shaking off the sadness, Lando grinned at her.  “Han Solo could bluff his way through any situation.  He would just rush into things and expect to be able to talk his way out.  It made working with him very stressful.  Why, when he saw Darth Vader for the first time, his instinct was to shoot at him!  As if a powerful Sith Lord can just be shot at by a blaster,” he laughed.

Smiling a little, she nodded.  “Yes, when I shot at Kylo Ren, it had no effect at all.”

He looked intrigued by that, but a knock at the door saved her from having to talk more about it.  “Sir,” a polite but impatient voice insisted.

Lando shook his head.  “I would like to hear more about that later, Rey.  But I’m afraid duty calls.  I’ll let you get back to your own.”

With that, he left and she pushed aside her thoughts about what had happened on Starkiller base.  More important matters pressed, so she hurried out to see that the Resistance officers were dispersing.  She spotted Rose and Finn in the crowd and ran up to them.

“What’s your hurry?” Finn asked with a smile.  “You missed the meeting.”

“Yes, sorry about that.  I had a vision,” she told them excitedly.

Finn looked apprehensive and Rose looked a little wary.  “Vision of what?” she asked.

“I’m not sure.  There was a cave, glowing green, and it’s calling to me.  I think… I think it might be something to help end the war,” Rey added softly, glancing around.  “My books describe powerful tools that could be what I saw.”

“That’s great, Rey,” Rose replied.  “Where is it?”

“I… don’t know that either.  But I can feel it.  I won’t get lost,” she said in response to the growing concern in their expressions.

“Rey, you’re just going to leave?  With no plan on where you’re going or how to get back?  What if you need help?” Finn wanted to know.

She bit her lip.  “I have to trust in the Force,” she said quietly.

“Is that what you’ve been doing?” Rose grumbled and Rey looked at her sharply.  “Rey, if you need to leave, you don’t need to make up excuses.”

Somewhat to Rey’s relief, Finn seemed as confused by Rose’s near-accusation as she was.  “It’s not an excuse.  There’s something there, something powerful.  If I get it, I can help our side.  I can do more than just… lift rocks,” she pointed out.

“I know that, Rey.  We just want to make sure you’re safe,” he assured her.

For most of Rey’s life, no one had cared if she were safe.  “Thank you, Finn,” she said earnestly.  “I’ll take Chewie with me.  We’ll be on the Falcon so you can track us if you need to.  I won’t be long.  Tell Poe,” she added as she shouldered her bag and prepared to leave.

“Rey,” Rose interrupted her.  She looked at her friend and waited while Rose considered what to say.  Finally, she just sighed.  “Be careful out there.  Come back in one piece.”

Rey nodded and embraced them both before going off in search of Chewie.

 

“Ah, the Supreme Leader graces us with his presence,” Hux grumbled under his breath as his former rival entered the bridge slowly.  “There has been no further intelligence reported on Organa or the girl since you were last here, sir.  Though a few of your knights have arrived.”  He gestured toward the Knights in question, who were gathered by one of the consoles, watching it with interest.

“Iton Ren, Zyot Ren, Qipo Ren.  It’s been too long,” Kylo Ren said formally.

“Master,” they replied and kneeled before him.

He walked over and looked toward the console with a slight frown.  “What’s this?”

“Nothing, my lord,” Iton Ren cut in smoothly, rising to stand in front of him.  “It is a pleasure to see you well after all this time.”

“Yes, pleasant.  What other reports have we had?” he asked, heading toward his throne.

Hux resisted the urge to roll his eyes, but summarized what information their various agents had reported since the Supreme Leader had last left his chambers.  Whatever reason he had been holed up in there was evidently something he felt they did not need to know.  He listened with little apparent interest as Hux finished, then nodded.  “Thank you.”

The Knights returned to their close inspection of the console and Hux went to stand at the Supreme Leader’s side.  “Has the Force gifted you with any insight regarding our enemies?”

“No.  That’s what the Knights are for, aren’t they?” came the acerbic response.

“Yes, of course.  I had heard that there were more than three of them,” he stated with a hint of curiosity.

“There were more.  They turned out to not be so devoted to the Dark Side,” the Supreme Leader explained harshly and Hux decided he did not wish to press the matter further.

 

“Where are you going?” Kaydel asked when she spotted the Last Jedi in the hallway, carrying a packed bag and heading for the landing pads.

“On a mission,” Rey replied excitedly.  “To get something that could help us defeat the First Order.”

Kaydel smiled at her, shifting the box of supplies she was carrying from one arm to the other.  “That would be wonderful. When will you be back?” she continued.  A hiss escaped her when her hand slid along the rough edge of the crate and got a nasty splinter.

“Soon, I hope.  Are you okay?”

“It’s fine,” Kaydel insisted, dropping the box abruptly.  The splinter was big enough to remove easily but left a bit of a mess.  She stared down at it uncertainly.

“Here.”  Rey took hold of her, settling her injured hand in her left and placing her right over it.  She closed her eyes and concentrated until the stinging went away.  “I owed you, for bringing me dinner.  Does this make us even?”

Kaydel stared down at her now uninjured hand.  “Yes,” she replied dubiously.  Rey smiled and continued on her way, leaving Kaydel to stare after her in wonder.


	6. Trying to be something new, you'll feel that you were something to prove

Rose did not like keeping secrets.  When they had made up the plan to disable the First Order’s tracking system, it was important to talk to someone with more authority than herself.  Poe had always been one of the General’s favorites, so going to him made sense.  It hadn’t occurred to her that he would go against their leadership, or that it would have such a great cost.

While secrets had not been her favorite thing before, she hated them now.  They could cause real damage by obscuring what people really needed to know.  So she should tell someone about what she had seen – about Rey’s apparent … understanding with the Supreme Leader of the First Order.  But who to tell?  And was it really her place to tell?

Rey was a Jedi.  Rey knew about things that Rose could barely understand.  And if Rey had a plan of some kind, wouldn’t telling on her mess it up?  If the Jedi thought it was important, surely she would tell someone herself?  Unless she was compromised.  Unless she was a double agent or a spy.

But that… that didn’t make any sense.  She might not want to talk about exactly how she’d managed to get on the Supremacy to kill Snoke, but that didn’t mean she was a traitor.  There had been nothing else in her actions to even hint that she had anything but loyalty for the Resistance. 

Chewbacca, the Wookie, had been the one to pick up Rey from the Supremacy.  Since he had gone with her to Ahch-To originally, there was every reason to believe that he was aware of her plan and had assisted her in it.  And his loyalty would never be in question – he’d been part of the Rebellion ages ago, combined with the fact that the First Order had killed Han Solo.  There was no way he would help Rey do anything against the Resistance.

So, there it was.  Rey was doing something for the Resistance.  Something involving the leader of the First Order.  That was smart – go for the leader.  Rey would explain herself when the time came, but, for now, Rose was willing to let her leave them and go after some vague Force-thing.  Whether that was the truth or not, Rose would have faith that, whatever she was doing, it was for the good of the Resistance.  Or maybe the galaxy as a whole.

She wasn’t going to tell Finn, though she wanted to.  He would likely overreact as he still tended to do where Rey was concerned.  Not that Rose was jealous – not really.  But he was clearly still learning to trust his friend to know what she was doing, so bringing that into question was not something Rose could do in good conscience.

Telling Poe…  Well, in spite of their failed plan, he was their leader.  And he was certainly a better leader than he had been before they’d suffered so many losses.  But that didn’t mean she wanted to put any doubt in his mind about the mystical Jedi in which he put so much faith.  Frankly, she trusted Rey more than she trusted Poe, if it came to it.

So Rose resolved to endure keeping a secret for a while longer.

 

“General Hux?” Mitaka requested, sounding dismayed.

Hux stood on the bridge, consulting with another officer.  He glanced up in annoyance.  “What is it?” he snapped.

“I… We’ve made some progress and I think you should see this.”

Much as he disliked Mitaka, he could see that whatever the younger man had found, it had shaken him.  Nodding, he followed his subordinate.

 

“Sir, come check this out,” Kaydel Connix called to Poe Dameron.

They were in a room given to them by General Calrissian to use to gather intelligence.  It had several workstations and they had assigned their people to work in shifts so they make constant use of them.  Codes had been sent out to their agents on how to contact them, and information had been coming in for a few hours.  Sorting through it was why they were here.

“What is it?” he questioned, looking over her shoulder.

“We’re receiving information about the First Order’s troop assignments and locations.  I didn’t think we had anyone close enough to know that kind of thing,” she explained, glancing at him with a puzzled frown.  “It’s an older code, but it was one General Organa used to use.”

He echoed the expression as he leaned in to read.  “This one matches the estimations Saris just sent in for near Onderon.”

“And Tarrano’s reports about sightings around Batuu,” Kaydel agreed.

Poe frowned slightly.  “Well, compare it to any information we have from other sources, but I think it is probably legitimate.  Let me know if they send any more.  In any case, gather the officers.  I think it’s time to tell them the plan.”

 

Chewbacca was working on the Falcon, as usual.  When he saw the human girl Rey approaching with a packed bag, he considered how quickly they could be ready to leave.  She explained she’d had a vision and intended to follow the call, and he knew he should be there to help her.  She was scrappy and had a good heart and he didn’t want to be the one to let her down.

Of course, visions tended not to give good navigational directions, so it was tricky figuring out how much time they could spend in hyperspace.  They did a few short jumps to make sure she could still sense which way to go, then tried a few longer ones.  Eventually, they were beyond the Outer Rim and near a planet the ship’s computer called Subterrel.

“This is it!” she said excitedly, grinning at him.

He was pleased as well, though worried about what she would be doing.

“I’ll be fine, Chewie.  I have a blaster.  And the Force.  Just set us down and I’ll go investigate.”

He might be doing as she asked, but he complained about the danger the whole time.  She laughed and he watched her go, worrying about how long he should wait for her to return before going after her.  Why did everyone always get into trouble when he wasn’t around?

 

“Alright, settle down,” Poe began, looking out at his officers.  The best of their people were in the room.  Excepting, of course, those who were gathering information for them out in the galaxy.  He took a deep breath, considering what he was going to say.

“We have been in hiding for a long time, rebuilding.  We are still low on manpower, weapons, and ammunition.  But we have something that the First Order doesn’t have and could never have – volunteers.  You all chose to be here, to sacrifice your homes, your families, even your lives in the name of the Resistance.  There are people all over the galaxy who look up to you and, though they might not be as dedicated as you are, they can be counted on to side with us when the time comes.

“The First Order has wealth and weapons and tech that we will likely never have, no matter whom General Organa convinces to help us.  If we wait until we have enough power to beat them, we will be waiting here for the rest of our lives.  Assuming General Calrissian doesn’t mind such inconsiderate guests,” he added with a smile toward the man in question.  That brought a laugh and General Calrissian nodded, grinning, in agreement.

“Who supports the First Order?  Weapons manufacturers, arms dealers, amoral scum who think they know which way the wind is blowing.  They will come around to support us if it looks like we’re going to win.

“The officers are made up of the remnants of the Empire’s leadership and their children.  They are just trying to return the galaxy to what it was before, in denial about why that all came to an end.  They fled from justice when the Rebellion won the day and they’re still trying to escape it while getting their old power back.  They are the real enemy, and they are, fortunately, small in number.  If we could face them directly, our victory would be assured.

“The problem is that there are hundreds of Stormtroopers between us and them.  Hundreds of people who were taken from their homes as children, reeducated, and forced to serve the First Order.  As one of our own can attest, they have little choice in their loyalty and many may not even know that there is another option for them.

“I brought you all here today to say that we do not need to wait for more resources, more allies, or more information.  I say that we have everything we need right here.  The First Order’s greatest strength could become its greatest weakness.  We can win this, and that we can do it without a great cost of life.  What do you say?”

The crowd cheered and he caught his breath.

“Do you have a plan?” Finn asked as the din died down.

“I have an idea that could bring down the First Order once and for all.”

 

Rey had never heard of Subterrel.  The only information that the ship’s computer could provide was that the planet had been used for mining at some point in the past.  As they approached, it did not appear that it was still inhabited.  The surface was barren and pockmarked with what must be the entrances to the mines.  Chewie set them down in the midst of these spots and she gathered her supplies.  She had her staff, the blaster Han Solo had given her, and a set of warmer clothes.  The lightsaber and her books she stashed on the Falcon, being unwilling to leave them in Cloud City or take them with her.  She would hate for a false step to see them tumbling into the bottom of a mine.

“I’ll be careful,” she promised Chewie after he, again, expressed his concerns about her wellbeing.  She embraced him and walked down the gangplank of the ship.  A strong wind hit her and she thought the clouds in the sky might be the kind that signaled rain.  Such weather was not overly familiar to her, and, anyway, different planets could have different cloud structures.  Still, she paused to pull out her poncho before getting further away from the ship, just in case.

Something was calling her, and the pull was stronger now than it had been in her vision.  She looked around for anything familiar but nothing stuck out.  Not to be deterred, she continued her exploration of the place.  There was a reason she had come here and she was certain it would be revealed to her in good time.

Suddenly the sky opened up and water poured down, testing the usefulness of her poncho.  The already muddy landscape quickly turned into a mire that took quite a bit of effort to move through.  A rock formation provided a modicum of shelter as she took a break against it to catch her breath and shake some of the rain off.  There was a cold trickle getting in at her neck and she attempted to fasten the poncho more effectively.  No such luck.  Wiping her wet hair out of her face, she took a deep breath and kept moving.

There!  The cave ahead looked just like the one from her dream.  She took off at a run to take shelter inside.  It was surprisingly warm out of the rain, and she paused to look around.  There was enough of a structure to indicate that it was not a natural formation.  The place where she stood was a little larger than a hallway, and the ground sloped abruptly downward only a little ways ahead of her.  It was dark, of course, but she thought there was a hint of green light.

She pulled her own light out of her bag and inspecting the area briefly before heading down the tunnel.  Tight spaces did not frighten her – she’d been crawling into the inner workings of ships since she was a very small child.  It was one of the reasons she had been purchased.  Children could fit into all sorts of places that Unkar Plutt and his people could not.

Still, the air seemed to take on a heavy, oppressive quality the further she went.  She thought of the Dark side place on Ahch-To.  It hadn’t felt like this, not exactly, but she had also felt called to go there.  And it had not given her what she’d wanted, only left her feeling alone and desperate.  She wouldn’t think about what happened after.  About how relieved she’d been to have someone who understood to talk to.  How that was such a new and precious thing for her.  About how she wished she wasn’t alone here.

The walls were not closing in, she reassured herself, pausing to measure them with her arms-length.  No, still the same size as when she started.  But the darkness was smothering and she fought a growing terror that she did not understand.  As a scavenger, she had always stuck to her instincts.  Was she wrong to ignore them now?  There was only a vague hope that whatever was down here would help the Resistance.  Was she a fool to pursue that hope?

Sloping rock gave way to packed dirt, the tunnel opening onto a small chamber.  The oppressive feeling lifted, and a pleasant smell filled her nostrils.  Her relief was short-lived as a sickening crunch halted her steps.  Forcing herself to keep breathing steadily, she shone her meager light and looked down.

A sound of revulsion escaped her at the sight of bones littering the floor.  The chamber was no larger than her room on Cloud City, with a part of the wall jutting toward the center of the room.  There was some kind of symbol carved into the floor.  On the wall, there was a sort of elaborately carved shelf that held a strange vine, growing slightly green.  The skeletons, more than a dozen, surrounded it.  Most appeared to have just collapsed where they were standing, but a few of the older ones had clearly been pushed aside.  Replaced with the newer ones, perhaps?

She swallowed, looking around carefully.  What had killed them?  Were they killed here or brought here afterward? A faint thought that they seemed to be focused on the plant itself was pushed aside by a calm feeling, like this was where she was supposed to be.  The carvings – she recognized them from one of the texts.  They had been in a section that talked about – about – something.  There was a power to – to do – something with lifeforce.  Something good?

A thought occurred to her suddenly.  She could take part of this vine and bring it back and the Resistance could use it to – to heal their people?  Attack the First Order.  It could solve all of her problems.  Of course.  That’s why she was here, after all.  Hesitantly, she moved forward until she had almost reached it.  Then she stopped, glancing down at the bones.

Something killed them, a voice in her head screamed through the fog.  Yes.  That was bad.  The foliage on strange planets could be dangerous.  But she could use it properly.  Of course she could.  She was the Last Jedi.  She knew what she was doing.

Don’t touch it!  Another voice cut through and she blinked, shaking her head.  Oh, right, touching it could be bad.  There were gloves in her bag.  She put them on, then reached again for the vine, carefully removing a small clipping of it.  Its power was strong and she smiled at it.

Time to go, she thought but walking felt like she was moving through the thick mud again.  She could keep going, though.  Of course.  Her feet pulled her slowly out of the chamber and back up the tunnel with difficulty and she could not stop looking at the glowing vine in her hand.  It was so pretty.  Why did she feel so weak?  Laying down was so very tempting.  She could just take a short nap, then go back.

Back where?  Oh, right, to Chewie and the Falcon.  To fly back to… to Finn, and Rose, and Poe.  The Resistance.  They were counting on her.  Not to do this, though, just to help.  Why had she come here?  It was so exhausting.  Maybe she should have stayed home.

Home…

Maybe it was the thought of home, but she could have sworn she heard her mother.  That was impossible.  Her mother was dead.  Ben had said so.  And she had known it already.

“Rey!”

She looked up and froze at the sight of her mother standing in the entrance to the cave.  It wasn’t raining anymore and her father was there, standing with her.

“Mother?  Father?” she asked, blinking in confusion.

They hurried to her, pulling her into their arms and she felt tears pouring down her face.  Grinning at them, she tried to wipe off her face but her clothes were still too wet from the rain.  She pulled off her poncho quickly to better embrace her family.  Her mother offered her own sleeve and a fresh set of tears threatened.  They had finally come back for her.

 

Hux tapped his foot impatiently as he watched the Knights of Ren’s ship settling down in the landing bay.  “Where have you been?” he snarled as soon as Iton Ren appeared.

“You asked for our help with your little Jedi problem, didn’t you?” she replied calmly, exuding dignity as she approached him in no hurry.

Qipo Ren appeared in the doorway of the ship and leaned against it, regarding him.

“Yes,” Hux admitted testily.  “What did you do?”

“We are taking care of it.”  It was likely from her tone that Iton was smiling behind her mask as she walked by.

His eyes narrowed as he turned stiffly to keep an eye on both of them.  “This is not what we discussed.”

The other Knight left his spot and followed his fellow.  “You wanted an end to the false idol of the Resistance that wouldn’t lead to a martyr.  That’s what we’re doing.”

Hux considered this briefly, watching them only a moment more.  “I want answers!”

Iton stopped and turned back toward him.  “Perhaps we could discuss this privately, just the three of us, General,” she said easily.

He opened his mouth to speak then stopped, glancing back at their ship.  “Three of us?  Where is Zyot Ren?”


	7. What you confuse for glory's fire is fire from the tongues of liars

Chewbacca waited in the Falcon, watching Rey disappear into the barren landscape.  Before too long, it began to rain.  He hoped she was alright without fur to protect her from the elements.  She would have other clothes, though.  She always seemed to be prepared for things.  It was nice working with her instead of Han or Leia or sometimes even Luke, who all tended to run into situations without much thought about how to get out of them.  Rey could always get herself out of a bad situation.

Since he had nothing else to do, he got back to work on the Falcon, staying inside to avoid getting himself or any of the valuable components wet.  There were still a few porgs on the ship and he took care not to disturb their nests.

Finally, he could see a shadowed figure was approaching through the open door.  She must have put on her poncho.  He sniffed but couldn’t tell anything through the rain.  When she got close enough, he asked her how it went.

“Better than expected,” an unfamiliar voice replied and a woman he didn’t know smiled up at him.  She had Rey’s poncho on and looked just like – like –

“I didn’t think I’d ever see Solo’s mangy Wookie again,” she continued, reaching into her cloak.

The thought occurred to him that she had been much more pleasant as a youngling, but he didn’t hesitate to take hold of her and toss her toward the nearest rocks.  She caught herself somehow and, laughing, lunged at him.  The Force must have been involved because he suddenly found himself on his back on the gangplank.  He demanded to know where Rey was as he got to his feet.

“Rey is… indisposed.  I’m sure she doesn’t want to be interrupted.  Did me a favor, though, getting out the front door so I could take this off her,” she added, holding up a crystal casing that held a small plant, winking green in her gloved hand.

He threw himself at her and she dodged, opening the casing to touch the plant to him.  It felt like he was dying – not of an injury, but that he was too old to function anymore.  He sagged to his knees and she withdrew it before he collapsed entirely.

“Thank you, Wookie, for helping me test it.  Come along, I may need you again.”  She roughly pulled him to his feet and he followed her onto the Falcon.  Distantly, he was aware that he should not stay here, that he needed to go help – someone?  But he was so very tired.  He sat down in the copilot’s seat and knew that girl was talking to him about something.  But he couldn’t bring himself to care.  He closed his eyes.

 

The Supreme Leader of the First Order was meditating.  He had not done so in a while, but seeing the Knights again made him remember his training a little more than he would have liked.  So he was trying to settle himself before he had to see them again.  They had trained together and had a sort of bond – nothing like the one with Rey, but enough of one that he would need to be on his guard.  And that required mustering his mental faculties by meditating.

The Knights had been here before he had been informed.  He had felt them arrive, felt their presence nearby.  And he hadn’t wanted to see them.  The three Knights remaining were the most zealous for the Darkness, their cruelty borne from troubled childhoods.  But Rey had experienced a worse upbringing and she was not cruel, he considered.  Snoke had underestimated her, making no attempt to understand what drove her.

It was important that his Knights make the same mistake.  Hux had called them here to deal with her.  And they had done similar things at Snoke’s bidding for years.  They would be able to get to her in ways that Snoke had not considered.  Much more effective methods than bridging her mind with his and expecting it to go any other way.

Relying on people was a weakness.  Empathy was a weakness.  Snoke had attempted to stamp these things out in his apprentice.  But he had not succeeded.  And it had been his downfall.  The Knights would also see personal connection as weakness and he must keep them from guessing what really happened.  That would be a challenge – they had known him for nearly half his life.

“Something killed them,” a voice echoed through his mind suddenly and he stood up.

“Killed whom?” he asked, looking around.  There was no answer.  He closed his eyes and focused on the thread of the Force that connected him to Rey.  It was difficult, as though there was some kind of interference.  He could see – something.  A cave wall, maybe.  There were carvings on it that he could barely make out.  And a vine that glowed a sickly hue.

“Don’t touch it!” he cried, pushing the thought toward her as hard as he could.  There was some kind of resistance, though whether it was from her or something else, he didn’t know.  Then, nothing.

“Rey?”  Only silence.  She was in trouble.  They had been blurry, but he could read those carvings.  They talked about a great and terrible weapon that stole the lifeforce of one’s enemies.  The Jedi had hidden away powerful artifacts during their time in control of the galaxy.  Some of these had been found, many by himself and his Knights, but some were still where the Jedi had left them.  Not because their locations were unknown, but because they were surrounded by traps designed to kill anyone who got close.  Just another example of Jedi short-sightedness.

He felt for her again but there was only the faintest hint.  Icey fear swept through him.  He could not just wait here and hope one of her friends was close enough to help her.  Without any further consideration, he stalked out of his quarters, determined to do something.

 

“Rey, look how you’ve grown,” her mother crooned, taking her hair down and brushing it soothingly.

Rey settled into the long grass of the meadow and smiled up at her.

“She hasn’t changed at all.  Still our beautiful little girl,” her father argued, teasing.

“We missed you so much, Rey,” her mother continued unperturbed.

“Yes, we did,” her father agreed.

“I missed you, too,” she admitted.  “I used to… to tell myself stories about today.”

Her mother smiled broadly.  “I hope it’s living up to your expectations, my love.”

She blinked, frowning slightly as she tried to remember what those might have been.  “Oh, yes, of course.”

A pleased murmur was her mother’s answer as she went back to brushing out her hair.

There were flowers everywhere and it was so green.  She listened to the sound of little birds singing somewhere nearby.  It would be so easy to lay down and go to sleep, she thought.  Her parents were here, they would protect her.

Would they?  The thought came unexpectedly and her frowned deepened.

“You seem troubled, my dear.  What is it?” her father asked.

“Where… where did you go?”  The question was difficult to get out, like she didn’t really want to know the answer.

“That’s a long story,” her mother told her gently.  “It can wait until after you’ve slept.”

“No…  I want to know…”

Her mother’s disposition changed slightly and Rey had the distinct thought that she could hear rain, incongruous with the pleasant scene.

“We were heroes,” her father explained abruptly.  “We were working for the Rebellion and we had to be called away.  We were only on Jakku because of the battle there.  Folks believe that the Empire fell that day, but it didn’t.  We went to gather intelligence.”

“Then what happened?” she asked, feeling slightly troubled by his explanation.

“Obi Wan Kenobi and Han Solo called us in.  We gave them our information, then we went with Luke Skywalker to destroy the Death Star,” her mother told her.

“I thought… I thought the battle of Jakku was after that,” Rey murmured distantly.

Her father laughed, a hearty sound that inexplicably sent a chill through her.  “That wouldn’t make any sense.  We were piloting X-Wings on the attack that destroyed the Death Star.  Luke Skywalker got the home shot, of course, but we saved him from many attacks.”

“You did?”

“Yes, of course, sweetie.  Then, for the second Death Star, your father went with Luke to turn Darth Vader to the light while I flew the Millennium Falcon to destroy the core,” claimed her mother.

“I thought… I thought Lando Calrissian – ” Rey tried to say, feeling so very tired.

“He was there, too, as my copilot,” came the reassurance.

The Falcon needed a copilot.  Of course.  Everyone knew that.

“Why don’t you lay down and we can tell you more about it,” her mother offered, setting aside the brush.

Rey nodded and lay back, resting her head in her mother’s lap like she always used to do.

 

Zyot Ren reported in as soon as she’d left the atmosphere.  Iton, Qipo, and General Hux were all present to receive her message.

“I have been unable to discover the location of the Resistance base.  The Wookie won’t talk, though he is incapacitated.  The Last Jedi is still on the planet.”

General Hux snorted.  “And what’s to keep her from calling her friends for help?  I fail to see what the point of all of this was.”

Iton Ren put a hand on his shoulder and he fell silent immediately.  “We told you about the weapon.  The Jedi Order did not want it found, so the Resistance’s precious hero has gotten herself into a trap.  One from which she will not want to escape.”

The holo of Zyot nodded.  “She was incapacitated and taking the weapon from her was easy enough.  She will soon be just another set of bones guarding the entrance.”

Hux shuddered slightly.

“More importantly, we have readied the weapon.  It is far more useful than your Starkiller Base because it does not destroy whole planets, only our enemies on the surface,” Iton continued.  “We will discredit the Jedi and make it clear she has turned traitor.  With that blow to morale and our new weapon, no system will consider siding with anyone but us.”

With a nod, Hux lowered his voice.  “What about the Supreme Leader?”

 

“Looks like you can stop fretting, Finn.  The Falcon’s leaving Subterrel,” Kaydel told him with a smile.

“Really?”  Finn looked down at the data pad she was holding.  There was a little blinking dot to represent the Falcon and it was leaving the planet.  It vanished as the ship went into hyperspace, but he was relieved nonetheless.  “She’s on her way back,” he told Rose.

“That’s great, Finn,” she replied and looked even more relieved than he was.  He hadn’t thought she was that close with Rey, but it was nice to see he hadn’t been the only one concerned.

Poe stepped away from the group of officers he’d been talking to and clapped Finn on the back.  “There, see.  She’ll be back just in time to help us bring the First Order down.  She can tell you all about her adventure on the way.”

Finn smiled and got back to work on planning the mission.

 

Ben Solo moved silently through the corridors of the base in a familiar path until he reached the landing bay.  It was empty of personnel, which was a relief.  He would go after Rey and figure out later how to return without raising too many questions from Hux or the Knights.  That wasn’t important right now.  He reached the Silencer and set about getting it ready.

“Supreme Leader.”

He froze and looked up to see General Hux and a squad of Stormtroopers heading toward him.  “General,” he replied, his mouth dry.

“I think you had better come with us.  There is a message we wish to send that requires your approval.”

The insolence Hux occasionally showed was back in full force and he seemed almost gleeful.  It made his jaw clench.  “I’m sure it is acceptable.  I have to attend to other matters.”

Hux looked at the ship, then back at him.  “Sir, this really is quite important.  I don’t think we can wait until you return.  From where ever you are going.  It won’t take long.”

He hesitated, considering cutting Hux down and leaving.  But he would be of no use if he couldn’t return here as a trusted member of the First Order.

“Alright,” he acquiesced and followed Hux to the nearest briefing room.  To his surprise, Iton and Qipo were there.

“Master,” they both said, nodding toward him.  He returned the gesture.

“What is it you want me to see?” he asked sternly.

Iton pressed a button and a holo appeared, with Hux’s voice over the images.

“This is General Hux of the First Order.  We seek only to help the galaxy reach its full potential, but a small band of you continue to resist.  I want you to know that what lies General Organa and her foolish band may have told you are just a reflection of her age and paranoia.  We are not the Empire and we do not aspire to be.

“This galaxy needs a government to prosper.  The Republic was weak and we are strong.  There will be no victory for the Resistance.  They have nothing.  We have the resources to protect you from those who would take advantage of the circumstances.  We will not allow opportunists to bleed our galaxy dry.

“The Resistance is nothing but the remnants of the last generation, clinging to a fight that no longer exists.  We will return this galaxy to the prosperity it once had.  Even the Last Jedi has joined our cause.”

Generic images of their might and capabilities had been projected, but the blood froze in Ben’s veins as the holo showed himself and Rey in the elevator on the Supremacy, standing close to each other.  A vague thought that they’d angled it to hide her binders flickered through his mind.  He felt like he was moving in slow motion as he looked up at Hux.

The man smiled broadly.  “Well, what do you think of it, Ben?” he sneered.

By way of answer, he drew and ignited his lightsaber, backing toward the door.

“You don’t want to explain yourself, Master?” Iton growled as she and Qipo prepared their own lightsabers.

He had to get out of here.  Zyot wasn’t present and that could only mean more bad news for Rey.  Even if she wasn’t actively in danger right now, a broadcast like that would make a lot of people very angry.  Enough people would believe it.  He had to get to her.

Luke had been the only person he’d fought who was trained in lightsaber techniques in a very long time.  Since the night they had left the temple burning.  Since everything had changed.  But the training came back quickly and he moved fluidly to evade the attacks of his Knights, managing to nick Qipo’s shoulder.  He had been the best at Luke’s school, and he was the best now.  Hux fired his blaster at him when he got to the door, but he lifted his free hand to freeze both the blast and his attackers.

He ran out into the hallway, rushing toward the landing bay.  Hux wouldn’t be able to move for some time, but the Knights would be able to break through his block very quickly.  The Silencer was fueled and he hastily unfastened the fuel line before hurrying toward the cockpit.

“Master, would you like to see what your girlfriend gave me?” a voice near his ear made him jump.  He turned around and saw Zyot standing close.  She pressed something to his cheek and he sank to the floor, only dimly aware of the other Knights joining her.

“Good work, Zyot.  What shall we do with him?”  He was pretty sure Iton was talking but she seemed so far away.

“I can think of a few things,” was the cold reply and then everything went black.


	8. Oh, send your rain

“Sir,” Kaydel interrupted, voice tremulous.

Poe looked up from perusing a map with Finn, Biabru, Talzuk, and Fothe.  “What is it, Connix?” he asked, a hint of annoyance in his tone.  Until he took in her expression.

“You’d better look at this.”

He straightened to follow her and the others did the same. 

She bit her lip and looked at them.  “Maybe just Poe.  And Finn,” she added.

Raising an eyebrow, Poe turned back to the others.  “Keep working, we’ll be back soon,” he told them, then looked back to smile reassuringly at Kaydel.

She didn’t meet his eyes and kept walking toward her work station.  Silently, she pressed a button and images into view.  It was the usual First Order propaganda, declaring their strength and narrated passionately by that zealot Hux.  Poe was about to ask Kaydel why they were watching this when the image changed.

It was Rey.  It was clearly Rey, standing next to Kylo Ren, in some enclosed space.  The view was from above and to the right, a security camera, maybe, and she walked closer to him.  Her body language was… not unfriendly.  The footage showed a better image of her face than his, and her expression was hopeful.  Hux’s voice claiming that she had changed sides played over the images.

“That’s Kylo Ren,” Poe said numbly, as if Finn wouldn’t recognize him.  As if Finn wouldn’t understand the relevance of this.

“The Supreme Leader,” Kaydel corrected quietly.  “He is now, anyway.”

Finn cleared his throat, clearly as much in shock as Poe was.  “She… This looks like it was from before Crait.  Don’t you think?”

There was a tinge of desperation to his voice.  Poe forced himself to think logically.  She did appear to be dressed the same as when she’d saved them on Crait.  Not that she had an abundance of wardrobe options, but they did know that she was on the Supremacy that day.  Killing Snoke.  And he knew that she hadn’t been dressed like that when she’d left to follow her vision only a number of hours ago.

It wasn’t much to go on, perhaps, but it was less disputable than their belief and trust in the Last Jedi.  She wouldn’t…  She couldn’t have joined the First Order.  Could she?

“I think so,” Kaydel agreed when Poe said nothing.  “Maybe… it’s a lie?”

“Footage of how she got on the Supremacy, manipulated to make it look like she joined them,” Poe suggested slowly.

Finn nodded, looking relieved.

Clearing his throat, Poe had to say what he was thinking.  “They couldn’t have manipulated that, though,” he said softly, gesturing to the paused image of the Last Jedi standing awfully close to the Jedi Killer.

“What are you thinking?” Finn asked, glancing at the image with a slight frown before looking back at Poe.  “She could have tricked him into letting her get close.  The First Order has a bounty on her head for killing Snoke.  We know she didn’t go there to play nice.”

Poe nodded.  “Yes, that’s true.  And the attack on Crait did seem like lashing out more than a tactical exercise.  It would make sense if they’d been tricked.”

“So what should we do, sir?” Kaydel asked.

“I think we need to talk to Rey as soon as possible,” Poe replied flatly.  “Where is she?”

Kaydel pressed a few buttons and showed the map that was tracking the Falcon.  It had dropped out of hyperspace but was nowhere near them.  It was in First Order territory.

A hiss broke the silence as Finn blew air out through his teeth.  “I trust her,” he said stubbornly.

Poe eyed him carefully.  “What do you want to do?”

“Continue with our mission as planned.  And hope she can send word before we go.”

“We need to tell our people something so they do not lose faith,” Kaydel asserted.

“Gather everyone.  I don’t want this getting lost in translation,” Poe said resignedly.

Kaydel hurried off to do so and Poe glanced at Finn, who was staring at the frozen image of their friend.

“He took her,” Finn said softly.  “He took her on Takodana.  She doesn’t like to talk about it.  I thought… I figured it was because he hurt her.  Like he hurt you.  Like he hurt other prisoners.  But maybe he didn’t.”

Clenching his teeth, Poe thought of how that man had tortured him, how he’d sliced up Finn’s back.  But he’d never done anything to hurt Rey.  Was that because she had the Force to defend herself or – or something else?

He shook his head to dispel those thoughts.  He needed to convince the Resistance to have faith in their Jedi, to have faith in their plan to win this fight.  And the idea of her having some kind of understanding or relationship with the leader of their enemies was not going to help.  Still…  A leader needed to be prepared for every eventuality.

“He’s Supreme Leader now,” he pointed out.  “We thought she got rid of Snoke to help us, but maybe it was to help him.  Finn, what if she did turn?”

Finn pursed his lips, tearing his eyes away at last to meet Poe’s gaze.  “Then we hope she won’t stand in our way.”

 

Rey watched the fluffy white clouds turn overhead in the beautiful blue sky.  Her mother and father were talking quietly together and she wanted this moment to go on for the rest of her life.  Her family was here.  She wasn’t alone.

You’re not alone, a voice echoed in her head.

She had answered the voice.  She was pretty sure, anyway.  But she hadn’t been talking to her parents.  It was someone else.  Her fingers twisted idly in her mother’s skirt as she considered.

She had been alone on Jakku.  There was no one there to reassure her.  She had just been waiting.  And then, finally, her parents had returned!  Now she would never be alone again!

Except… that voice.  There was something else.

Her years of waiting had finally paid off, who cared about anything else?

But she had just waited.  Hadn’t she?

Faint images flitted through her head and she could not grasp onto any of them.  They were other things.  Other planets, other people.  She hadn’t stayed on Jakku – had she?

Of course she had.  That was what she was good at – waiting.

 

Ben awoke with a start.  His hands were bound in something painful.  He opened his eyes to inspect the binders, the kind with pulse lock points.  They wouldn’t prevent him from using the Force, but they would make it difficult.  His head felt foggy and he tried to remember how he got here.  He had been in his quarters – no, that wasn’t right.  Hux had been talking to him.  Hux had shown him something.  A holo.  It was distressing.  Then he’d been attacked.  No, wait, he’d attacked.  They’d retaliated.  Because the holo showed that… showed Rey.

He sat up abruptly.  Rey was in trouble.  Rey was in trouble and he was here, locked up.  How much did they know?  None of the Knights could read minds like he could, but they had other forms of torture they could use to make him talk.  To tell them everything.

They would find his mother.  They would find Rey.  They would use them to destroy the Resistance and solidify their rule.  And he would be dead.

Maybe that was for the best, he thought as he lay back down on the durasteel shelf that was the only thing in his cell.  He had never managed to do anything without messing it up anyway.  Not on the Light Side or the Dark Side.  Devoting himself to the Light had led Luke to consider killing him.  And, on the Dark, he’d killed his master.  Which he supposed was somewhat expected, but not for the reasons he did it.  He hadn’t done it to further his own ambition, he’d done it to save Rey.  A Lightsider.  Who was in trouble.

More trouble now, he recalled as he sat up again, ignoring the pounding in his head.  That holo could get her killed.  People would doubt her loyalty.  They might think she’d turned now.  Or that she’d killed Snoke just to put him in power.  They wouldn’t understand why she’d really gone there.

Why had she really gone?  He hadn’t let himself consider it.  She hadn’t killed him as she left when he was unconscious.  She had seen something – a future.  A future with him.  He swallowed hard.  A future that he couldn’t dare think of.  How could he possibly offer her anything?  How could she stand to be near him after all that he’d done?  Even if he’d been trying to help the Resistance, it didn’t make up for anything.  There was no way to overcome his past.

That was a familiar feeling.  He’d been trapped by destiny, by his family’s history, for as long as he could remember.  Was there any way to escape?  To do something without that tremendous weight bringing him down?  He let out a heavy sigh.

“<Stop ruminating, Ben>” a familiar growl greeted him and he jumped.

“Chewie?” he asked in disbelief.

The Wookie grumbled in annoyance from the next cell.  Ben couldn’t see him, but the doors of these cells did allow sound through.  An oversight he hadn’t realized.  How many of their prisoners had talked to each other over the years?  Maybe sharing important information.  Not that they had ever escaped to use that information, he thought darkly.

“What are you doing here?”

“<I just thought I’d visit>” Chewie replied sarcastically.

Ben couldn’t stop a smile that tugged at his mouth.  “I appreciate that.  I’m sure you’ll be shocked to hear that I don’t get a lot of visitors.”

A snort was his only response.

Pressing his lips together, Ben took a deep breath.  “I’m sorry, Chewie.  I’m so sorry for… for Ha – for my father.”

There was a long silence. 

Ben pressed his head against the durasteel wall and closed his eyes.  “He asked me to come home.  I… Snoke thought I was weak and I needed to prove myself to him.  But it only made me weaker.”  He waited but Chewie said nothing.  “I thought that I could become who Snoke wanted me to be, since I was never what my parents wanted.  But I couldn’t.  I never could do anything right.”

Still nothing.  Oh well.  He’d apologized to Chewie.  Maybe he would never be able to apologize to his mother, but this was better than nothing.  He wondered how long Hux would keep him alive.  Rapid changes in leadership were a sign of weakness, so he might be kept as some kind of puppet for a while.  He didn’t want that.  He would have to be more trouble than he was worth.  He’d rather die than keep working for them, he realized.

A deafening crashing sound interrupted his thoughts and he recoiled from the door.  There was a slight pause before the cacophony returned.  His door was being smashed in.  Smashed in by familiar hands.

“<Let’s go>” Chewie told him impatiently.  “<We have to save Rey>”

Ben got to his feet quickly at that.  “They have footage of her that makes it look like she switched sides.  She’s in danger from the Resistance.  And she was going to Subterrel,” he added, glancing down the corridor in search of any guards.

“<She’s still there>” Chewie stated, seeming to take Ben’s knowledge about his supposed enemy in stride.  The Wookie headed toward the guard station and he hurried to catch up.

Still there?  Then she must have been caught in the trap.  They would have to hurry, before it killed her.  Or…  Or Zyot might have already done so.  But Zyot was cruel and would prefer an end that involved suffering.  And he should be able to feel if Rey was dead – right?

There were four guards at the guard station.  They looked up in surprise when Ben appeared first.  “What is the meaning of this?” he demanded, holding up his bound arms.  “Release me immediately.”

They looked at each other.  “Sir, our orders – ” one began.

“I don’t care what your orders were,” he snarled, smashing his binders into the nearest console.  Sparks flew and he winced slightly at the pain to his hands.  No damage to the binders, unfortunately.  “Release me.”

A different officer from the one who had spoken reached for his communicator.  He and Chewie were no match for the Knights and whomever else Hux might send.  So he did the only thing he could think of.  He lunged at the man and knocked him to the ground.  “Chewie!” he called back.  The Wookie barreled out from where he had remained in the corridor.

“<Your plan wasn’t very good>” Chewie growled as he made quick work of the other three guards.  Ben kept his pinned down and smiled slightly at the Wookie’s tone.

When Chewie had bound all four guards, he found the control for Ben’s binders and released him.  Ben rubbed his wrists to return the circulation, hoping his abilities would not be diminished, though Luke had always insisted on being ambidextrous with both weapons and the Force, for obvious reasons.  “Thank you,” he said sincerely.

To his surprise, Chewie swept him into a crushing hug.  It took him a moment to realize what was happening, then he returned the embrace.  “Uncle Chewie,” he murmured, thinking of how much of his childhood had been spent safely in the Wookie’s arms.

“<Let’s go>” Chewie repeated, drawing back.

Nodding, Ben looked around the room to determine where they were.  He spotted his lightsaber on a guard’s desk and summoned it to him.  It was a relief that it came easily.  Then they made their way carefully through the corridors of the base, Ben sensing ahead and turning away anyone whom they couldn’t otherwise avoid.  There were cameras, of course.  Probably everywhere, given Hux’s general paranoia.  But that couldn’t be helped.

Their destination was an unused control room, now a repository for old tech.  He’d repurposed one of the computers to send out messages.  Now, he accessed it and prepared a message to send to the Resistance.  There wasn’t a lot of time, so he kept it brief.

_Go to Subterrel to save Rey_

There was a lot more that needed to be explained, but it wasn’t necessary right now.  “Alright, let’s get out of here, Uncle Chewie,” he said, getting to his feet.

“Uncle?” a familiar voice sneered.

His face paled at the sight of Iton Ren and the other Knights in the doorway.  Hux was behind them, flanked by a squad or two of guards.  He gritted his teeth and ignited his lightsaber.  He wasn’t going down without a fight, not again.

 

A feeling of unease passed through Rey and she frowned, sitting up.

“What is it, darling?” her mother asked.

“Go back to sleep, Rey,” her father told her.

She shook her head slightly, trying to wake herself.  Her parents had been gone for so very long.  She had waited and waited and waited.  But she wasn’t on Jakku.  She wasn’t where they’d left her.  There had been BB-8 and Finn, the Force, Skywalker.  Ben.

She hadn’t come here to see her parents.  She’d come here to get something to help the Resistance.  The Resistance!  They were her family now – weren’t they?  They were like a family, anyway.  They wouldn’t leave her behind, making promises to return but then not doing so for over a decade.

They wouldn’t sell her for drinking money and then die of their habit.

Rey stood up abruptly, glaring down at the people who looked like she had wished her parents looked, acting like she wished her parents had acted.  “This isn’t real,” she said.

“Rey,” her mother said, looking sad.

“This isn’t real,” she snapped, recoiling and backing up until she was suddenly hit with water.  The vision faded – she was back in the cave on Subterrel, rain pouring down her back as she stood at the entrance.  Shuddering, she turned and sprinted back toward where she’d left the Falcon.  But it wasn’t there.  She was alone.  Completely alone.


	9. Fire, fire, fire!  Fire from the tongues of liars

“General Organa, it is a pleasure to hear from you,” Poe Dameron said gravely.

The woman in question, communicating via holo, waved a hand impatiently.  “Drop the protocol, Poe, or I’ll have Threepio here be my interpreter.”

“Well, I never,” the golden droid, visible behind her, huffed in clearly taken offense.  She looked back him with a smirk.

“Princess,” General Calrissian interrupted, leaning forward in his seat.  He was next to Poe at the front of the room that had become the Resistance’s command center.

At the sight of him, the General broke into a smile.  “Lando!  Now this is the pleasure that boy was talking about.  You decided to give our ragtag band shelter, I take it?”

“Yes, Your Highness,” he replied and she laughed.

“No one’s called me that in a long time.”

Sitting back, he grinned self-assuredly.  “That’s because you haven’t spoken to me in a long time.”

“An oversight I’ll be happy to rectify,” she acquiesced, looking at him warmly.  “How long have my people been there?”

“A few days.  We’ve been setting up contacts because your General Dameron here has a plan I think might just work,” Lando continued, nodding toward the younger man.

The General looked at Poe expectantly.  “Well, out with it.  I assume you didn’t risk our respective locations by insisting on this communication for nothing.”

“No, I have a plan,” Poe defended himself, then cleared his throat.  “ _We_ have a plan,” he corrected, indicating the rest of the room.  “We believe we have a way to defeat the First Order once and for all, with minimal loss of life,” he explained.

“Now, that would be quite a feat.  What are you thinking?”

He motioned to Finn, who stood.  “Um, General Organa, nice to see you,” he stammered.

She smiled at him.  “Finn, a pleasure, I’m sure.”

Poe frowned slightly at them, then nudged Finn with his elbow.

“Yes, right.  Well, as you know, I was a Stormtrooper.  I am familiar with the program they use to keep Stormtroopers loyal.  And I think we can persuade them – the Stormtroopers, I mean – to switch sides.”

“You can?”

“If we can, then the small number of officers would be easy enough to contain,” Poe continued when Finn hesitated.

The General considered this, looking at each of them.  “And how will Finn convince them to defect like he did?”

“I’m going to talk to them about how we were taken from our families and how the First Order is just using us – them for manpower.  That they don’t care if we live or die.”

“So, you’re just going to talk to them?”

Finn and Poe glanced at each other.  “I think I can do it convincingly,” Finn asserted with more firmness than any of his earlier responses to the General.

“I believe you.  But it would help if we could offer them something, some kind of incentive, to get this war to be over quickly.  Right now, they are likely staying with the First Order because they do not think there is anywhere else to go, and that makes them personally invested in winning.  If we could give them some ideas on what they could do instead of being Stormtroopers, you might convince more of them.”

“I might be able to help,” Calrissian suggested.  They all turned to look at him.  “I could always use more workers for the mine.  It’s not easy, but it’s good work and provides well.  We listen to complaints and do our best to meet the needs of our people, which might be a pleasant change for Stormtroopers.”

Rose, who had been silent through all of this, nodded enthusiastically.  “It’s one of the best mining colonies in the galaxy,” she agreed.

Calrissian looked surprised but pleased by her support.  “I don’t know if I could take all of them, but it’s an option,” he continued.

“Yes, an excellent idea,” General Organa agreed.  “I will have to see if any of our other allies would appreciate a new crop of workers.  I assume that their work ethic would be good?”

This was directed at Finn, who nodded.  “We had a good system of rewards and punishments to keep us working for free.  I can’t say how all of them will react to a situation without that system, but the First Order doesn’t really tolerate weakness or laziness.”

General Organa nodded thoughtfully.  “Well, I will contact those who might be able to make similar offers.  Threepio, come up with something to send out.  Something to make the offer tempting.”

“I’ll do my best, General,” the droid replied stiffly, obviously still offended, and she smiled at him.

“Is there anything else?” she asked Poe.

“No, ma’am.  Except to thank you for the troop assignments and locations you sent us.  It will be very helpful in starting Finn’s rebellion,” he explained.

The General frowned.  “Troop assignments?”

Poe faltered.  “Yes.  You sent a list of them using one of your old codes.”

“I haven’t sent anything like that,” she replied, shaking her head.

“Oh,” Poe replied, glancing at Kaydel with wide eyes.

“It matches with our other intel.  There is no reason to doubt its authenticity,” the young woman told him firmly.

“Be careful,” the General cautioned.  “Our enemies are tricky and tend to set up traps.  If you’re going to set one off, try to at least be prepared.”

Poe nodded.  “We will, ma’am.”

“May the Force be with you,” she said and disappeared.

There was a long silence as they considered where the reports could have come from.  “Well, I think we can move forward, regardless of who sent the transmissions,” Poe said at last.  A general murmur of agreement greeted his statement.  “Let’s get back to work.”

As the rest of the Resistance officers did as their leader commanded, Finn and Rose hurried over to talk to Poe.  “You didn’t tell her.  About Rey,” Finn whispered urgently.

Poe ran a hand through his hair.  “I didn’t want to bring it up until we talk to Rey.  She should be able to speak for herself.  If she has defected, then it will be all the more necessary that we can convince the Stormtroopers to join with us.”

Exchanging a glance, they both nodded begrudgingly.

“I’m sure…  I’m sure she has a plan,” Rose offered.  “She got on the Supremacy and killed the Supreme Leader.  If she’s gone to their base again, it can’t be to change sides, right?”

“You’re right,” Poe agreed.  “But there’s not much we can do now.”

 

Finn was studying the layout of the base in which the First Order was believed to be located, assuming the communications they had received were accurate.  It was strange, he reflected, that General Organa hadn’t sent them.  Who else would be using her codes?  Regardless, he wasn’t going to ignore how beneficial they were to seek out new allies.  It would not occur to his former masters that they might seek to save the Stormtroopers instead of attack them – another reason he would add to his list of why they should defect.

“Kaydel says there’s another message coming from the one that sent us the troop locations,” Rose’s voice interrupted him.

Hastily, he got to his feet and they walked over to Kaydel’s station.  Poe was already there.  They all looked down at the message and glanced at each other after reading its contents.

“She’s still on Subterrel?” Poe wanted to know, a mix of disbelief and relief in his voice.

“That would mean she didn’t go to the First Order at all,” Finn said exultantly.

Rose grinned at him.  “She didn’t betray us – it was just a trick of theirs.”

Poe nodded slowly.  “I’ll send a team.  Hopefully you’re right.”

“Let us go,” Finn insisted.

“Fine, but be discreet.  We don’t want anyone to talk about you defecting,” Poe muttered.

Finn and Rose both nodded gravely, then headed off toward the landing pads.

 

The rain had long since gotten through every layer of her clothes.  Her poncho was gone.  Still, Rey did not want to seek shelter in that cave.  Or any of these mines – who knew what might be in them?  They could all be traps to keep her here, showing her what she wanted most, until she died.

There was a vine, she remembered.  One that she had reached for, despite her better judgement.  Was it the reason for her visions of her parents?  It seemed to be gone, in any case.  Like her poncho.  She curled up at the base of one of the stone outcroppings, which provided some cover.  Like Chewie, like the Falcon, she continued her list.  Maybe she should have just stayed in the vision.  It was better than being aware of dying on this wasteland of a planet.

At least there she had felt happiness.  Now she was just afraid and alone and had no idea what had really happened.  Why had she felt drawn here?  She thought it was the Force, calling her to help the Resistance in some way.  But now… maybe it wasn’t.  Maybe she had been sent here so she couldn’t be part of the war anymore.  Would… Would Ben have sent her here?  Not to die, of course.  But to wait.  Was he going to destroy the Resistance and then come for her, as if she would want to see him ever again if that were the case?

She had felt him, just for a moment.  When she reached toward the vine.  She thought he told her not to touch it.  But maybe that wasn’t real.  Or maybe it was and it just meant that he was getting cold feet about his plan.  She rested her head in her hands and sighed.  Ben was so conflicted.  Maybe someday he wouldn’t be, and her Force-vision would come true.  Or maybe it would happen in some unexpected, and unwelcome, way.  The Force was not so straight-forward as she would have liked.

If she had learned anything from studying the Jedi texts, it was that the Force would do what it willed.  Whether you followed it or not.  Trying to avoid a vision of the future was the surest way to make it come to pass.  But actively trying to cause something to happen never seemed to work out, either.  You had to wait, and let the Force move things, and let yourself be moved by it.  Fortunately, she was very good at waiting.

Her eyes were closed when she heard the sound of a ship landing.  It might be real, but it might not.  How could she possibly tell?  Well, they didn’t act like she wanted them to, it was probably real.  The trap, whatever it was, had only shown her what she wanted to see most.  Parents who loved her and would finally take care of her so she wouldn’t have to be alone anymore.  The thought made her tired.  She had spent her whole life fending for herself, focused only on survival.  Maybe someday this war would be over and she would be able to rest.

“Rey?” a voice called through the rain.

She slowly got to her feet, wanting to face the apparition head on.  “I’m here!”

Figures appeared, running toward her.  Finn and Rose.  Perhaps not a trick, to see her friends, but she would be on her guard.

“What happened?  Are you alright?” Finn demanded, patting her shoulder and looking her up and down.

“Yes.  Sort of,” she admitted.

“Did you come here because of Kylo Ren?” Rose asked.

Rey blinked in surprise.  This was likely real, then, if she was going to have to engage in uncomfortable discussions.  Finn looked somewhat distressed but not like the question was totally unexpected.  So he must know something about it.  “No.  I mean, I don’t think so.”

Finn frowned, withdrawing his hand.  “You don’t think so?”

“It was a trap,” she said softly, sniffling.  “I don’t know if he was involved in setting it.”

Both of them looked relieved, for some reason.  Rose took her arm.  “Come on, let’s get you out of the rain and you can tell us all about it.”

Rey nodded and was glad to get on their ship with them.  It was unlike many of the other Resistance ships and she would have to explore more – later.  While Rose piloted their escape, Finn insisted she sit down in the cargo bay and went to find a blanket.  “Do you want to talk about it?” he asked when he returned, shifting his weight from foot to foot uncomfortably.

She considered her response while the telltale sounds of a jump to hyperspace gave her a reason to delay answering.  Then Rose joined them, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning against the wall.  Something was wrong there, but Rey didn’t know what it could be.  “I found this vine growing in one of the mines that seemed very powerful in the Force.  But there was something about that mine, made it hard to concentrate.  I used gloves to grab the thing, and made it almost out before I couldn’t think properly anymore.” 

He nodded slowly, glancing at Rose.  “What was the trap?” she asked gently. 

“I saw my parents,” Rey whispered.  “They… They came back for me finally.  They were everything I ever wanted them to be.  And then…  I realized that I had left Jakku.  That I hadn’t waited there like I’d promised.  That they were just telling me all the stories I used to tell myself about why they had to leave me.  I pulled out of it somehow.  But, when I woke up, I was alone.  Chewie and the Falcon were gone.  So was the bit of the vine I’d cut.  And my poncho,” she added, somewhat self-effacingly.  As if that mattered as much as anything else.

Finn patted her shoulder again.  “Don’t worry.  We’ll get them all back.”

 

Chewbacca had had the presence of mind to steal a blaster from the guards after Ben’s plan hadn’t worked.  Solo plans only worked about half the time, he knew.  But, anyway, they had gotten out of the prison sector without getting caught, so Ben must have known what he was doing to some extent.  He always was a clever child.

The Dark Siders and the First Order general were also armed.  Even though Ben had picked up his lightsaber, Chewie was not sure they could win this fight.  Or delay enough to escape this little room and start running for an exit.  Ben had insisted on sending a message to the Resistance to go save Rey.  That was hardly something he could have argued against doing – he was worried about her and there was no guarantee they could rescue her themselves.  But now they were trapped in the old storage room and unlikely to escape.  It wouldn’t make for much of a last stand, but he would repay his life-debt to Ben’s father if it came to that.

“I can’t imagine why you’d call such an overgrown ball of fleas your uncle,” the First Order general said snidely, and Chewie growled menacingly.  “What should we do with our Supreme Leader?” he asked the Dark Siders.

One, whom Chewie had once known as Aerena Zatoq, laughed.  “I think he would enjoy a chance to watch the weapons test.  Bring him and the Wookie.”

Her commands were not quite so easily carried out as spoken because he and Ben had no intention of coming quietly.  Chewie shot at as many of the Stormtroopers as he could while Ben covered him and used his lightsaber very efficiently.  It wasn’t enough, though.  Chewie got shot in the leg and dropped to his knees at the unexpected pain.  Ben fought all the harder, but there was an unending stream of soldiers between them and the general.  The Dark Siders fought Ben as well, so it was not a fair fight and they seemed to enjoy watching him overextend himself.

Finally, Ben was disarmed.  Aerena smashed his lightsaber with her foot, breaking the casing and picking up the crystal.  “You couldn’t even bleed it properly,” she said disdainfully, tucking the Kyber into a pocket.  “Come on, Ben, there must be something you can do right.”

“I can kill you,” Ben snarled.

She laughed.  “Oh, you may have gotten rid of everyone else who studied under Skywalker with you, but you won’t find us so easy to defeat.  What do you think we should do with him, Qipo?”

“He could make a useful test subject for the weapon we’re building,” the male knight replied viciously, touching the injury on his shoulder.

“Do we have your permission, General?” Aerena asked the man clearly in charge.

“I think that sounds like an excellent course of action,” he agreed. 

Chewie looked at Ben, hoping he had a plan.  But the young man’s expression was bleak.  Chewie would have to keep an eye out for an opportunity to escape.  He hoped that their message had gotten through, and that Rey was safe, at least.  That would be something.


	10. You're afraid of who you are (you're ashamed of where you're from)

Rey sat huddled in one of the seats in the cargo bay of the transport ship Finn and Rose had used to rescue her.  She missed being on the Falcon.  She wouldn’t let her thoughts wander too far in that direction, though, and risk falling into a panic about Chewie.  The couch here was uncomfortable but better than the rocks and mud of Subterrel.  She pulled her blanket closer around her shoulders and sighed.  Finn and Rose were in the cockpit because she’d asked to be alone, something she used to always hate being.

She thought she’d dealt with the fact that her parents weren’t coming back.  But it was still her greatest wish, apparently.  She’d spent over a decade dreaming about who they were, why they left, and how they would finally return to rescue her from a life of drudgery.  Those were all fantasies – none of it was real.  They were drunkards who sold her to make their own lives easier.  Maybe there was some comfort in that – they would have sold any children of theirs and it had nothing to do with who she was as an individual.  But it was cold comfort at best.  They hadn’t known her well enough to care about the person she had been.  And their leaving had played a big part in making her into the person she was now.

The Force had chosen her; she had to believe that.  There wasn’t a secret backstory or any reason behind the choosing, much as she longed to have something like that.  But maybe it knew what it was doing, selecting her to be its vessel.  But why?  What was her purpose?  What had she really done to make a difference?

Saved BB-8.  Gotten the map to Luke and kept it from falling into First Order hands.  Going after the Jedi hadn’t worked out exactly as expected, but he had still faced down the entire First Order with a laser sword to save the Resistance.  Which wouldn’t have been successful without her help.  They would have been trapped and his distraction would have been for nothing if she weren’t there to clear the exit.  So those were all good things.  The Resistance would be gone, the First Order would rule uncontested, if she had stayed on Jakku, waiting for her parents.

She stood up and walked to a viewport, thinking that maybe heroes weren’t what she had always thought they were.  Maybe heroes were fallible and self-conscious and unsure of themselves, and maybe that wasn’t a bad thing.  She didn’t like how reverently the Resistance viewed her, as some savior who could end the whole war in one grand action.  She couldn’t do that.  But she could help, and she had helped, and maybe that would be enough, no matter how much she questioned her place in this story.

“Rey?”

Rose stood in the doorway, seeming uncertain of her welcome.  Rey smiled.  “Thank you for coming for me,” she said.

The mechanic’s returning smile was strained.  “I need to talk to you.”

“Oh.  Yes, of course,” Rey answered haltingly, feeling her heart being to pound.  It was probably nothing, she reassured herself.  Something about Finn, maybe.  Nothing to fret about.

Rose closed the door between them and the cockpit, not a good sign, and came to stand next to Rey.  “While you were gone, the First Order released a new propaganda holo.  They claimed that you had gone over to their side.”  Rey opened her mouth to protest but Rose waved off her defensive response.  “We knew it couldn’t be true, of course.  But, Rey… They had a video of you.  On the Supremacy.  With Kylo Ren,” she said slowly.

Closing her eyes, Rey turned back toward the viewport.  There were many incriminating moments if they had footage of her on the Supremacy.  “I didn’t…  I wasn’t going over to their side,” she said quietly.

“I know that.  But you were clearly not there as an enemy to him,” Rose continued, clearly expecting her to explain herself.  Rey didn’t know what to say.  “Finn and Poe think that you tricked him to get on board so you could kill Snoke.”

Finally, Rey looked back at her.  “What do you think?”

Rose took a deep breath.  “I saw you with him, on Cloud City.  I haven’t told anyone.  But I think you were on the Supremacy to try to get him to leave the First Order, only he didn’t.  You’re still hoping he will, though.”

It was shocking that Rose could read her so well.  Had she been that obvious?  Rey swallowed.  “Why?” she whispered, surprised that Rose had kept such a secret.

An embarrassed expression crossed Rose’s face as she glanced away.  “I was going to ask you the same thing.”

Rey blinked.  “I…”  It would be a relief to say it.  To tell someone.  Even someone unfamiliar with the Force who might not understand.  The fact that they were having this conversation at all, instead of being interrogated in front of the entire Resistance, must mean that Rose was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt.  Hopefully she wouldn’t change her mind when she knew the truth. 

“When I was on Ahch-To, something happened.  The Force kept connecting us.  I could see him, he could see me, neither of us could see the other’s surroundings.  We… talked.  He told me about how he went to the Dark Side originally.  I could feel he was still conflicted about his choice, so I thought I could save him.”

“But you couldn’t,” Rose prompted when Rey fell silent, thinking.

Nodding, Rey continued.  “I tried.  He…  Rose, I wasn’t the one who killed Snoke.  He did.  Snoke ordered him to kill me and he chose to kill Snoke instead.  I was… I was so shocked and hopeful.  But then he wanted me to stay, to rule the galaxy with him.  I, well, obviously I couldn’t stay and do that.  So I left.  That’s how my lightsaber got broken,” she added.

Rose was watching her, considering.  “So the Force connected you on Cloud City?”

“Yes.  It hadn’t happened since Crait.  I don’t know why it did again.  Maybe he’s changed his mind about ruling,” she murmured, looking at her hands.

“We can hope,” Rose said gently, patting Rey’s arm.  “Thank you for telling me.  I don’t know how Finn or Poe would take the news that you’re connected to the Supreme Leader of the First Order, so maybe we should keep this between ourselves.”

That made sense.  “Yes, probably for the best.”

Rose watched her for a long moment.  “We’re going on a mission to destroy the First Order once and for all.  If you want to join us, I have to know…  If it comes down to him or us, what will you choose?”

Rey blinked at the sudden wetness in her eyes.  “I’ll choose what’s right,” she said firmly.  “What the Force wills.”

Rose looked dubious.  “Alright.  Well, hopefully it won’t come to it, then.”  She patted Rey’s arm again and returned to the cockpit, leaving her to consider what she would really do in a situation where her choice could make a significant difference.

 

Chewie was probably too weak to resist being brought along with Ben.  They didn’t question his sudden willingness, in any case, which was what he preferred.  The new location was a messy, cramped room and he couldn’t imagine why they would bring their prisoners here.  He frowned at the mechanical detritus strewn over the floor, and was dumped unceremoniously into a corner of the room.  Covering the wound in his leg, he let out a low growl.

Ben was brought before a viewport instead and Aerena and the male Dark Sider pushed him onto his knees before the third, whom Chewie thought might have been named Yavok before she turned to evil.

“Do you know what this is?” she asked Ben, holding up a crystal trinket containing that Dark plant she’d used on Chewie.

“Yes,” Ben hissed.  He struggled against the grip of his captors, which did nothing but earn him a blow from Qipo’s lightsaber hilt.

“Good.”  Yavok walked over to the newly-constructed technical apparatus in the middle of the floor, pressing the Kyber crystal casing into it.  “This will channel its energy to create a weapon.  Oh, look, it’s working,” she added, all of them looking smug as the machine started up.

 

Kaydel was standing by the screen they were using to track troops.  The information that the mysterious sender had provided was proving to be accurate, as a few of their own people had gone out to check and, wherever possible, implant trackers.  It was an imperfect picture of the First Order’s resources, but certainly better than what they had been using before.  General Lando Calrissian was deep in a discussion with Poe nearby and she did her best to stay focused on her own task in spite of their presence.

“This is going to work,” Poe insisted, not for the first time.

Lando gave an elaborate shrug, winking at Kaydel as he did so.  “I’m not saying I lack faith in your friend, Dameron.  I’m just saying that we need a backup plan.  What if we send these people out there to convert Stormtroopers and find that the First Order offers much better options than we do?  We need another way to get at the people in charge besides going through their foot soldiers.”

“We don’t have another way – that’s the whole point.  We’re never going to win by fighting alone.  They far outnumber us and have had decades to perfect their technology.  This is the only weakness that we can exploit,” Poe replied, frustration coloring his tone.

Lando sighed, giving in.  “Fine, we will bet everything on this horse.  But tell me you at least have an extraction plan for your team, if things go south.  We can always regroup later if we haven’t committed too many people to this.”

Before Poe could reply, they were interrupted by Finn and Rose returning with Rey.

“Our Jedi is back!” Finn declared triumphantly to the room at large.  Cheers greeted his statement, and Kaydel joined in with that, feeling immensely relieved.  Not that she’d really doubted Rey, but the holo image of her had been rather convincing.

“The First Order laid a trap for her, but she escaped it,” Finn continued proudly.

Rey looked uncomfortable with the attention, but fortunately Finn guided her away from the crowd and over to where Poe and Lando had been having their discussion.

“Glad to see you back, Rey,” Poe said, shaking her hand.  She offered him a small smile and nodded to Lando when he repeated the sentiment.  “What kind of trap was it?”

Her expression was grave as she drew closer so that it was harder to be overheard.  “There was this vine of… of some power.  I tried to get it, but fell into a vision.  It took me a while to get out of it, and, when I came to, it was gone.  With Chewie and the Falcon.”

“You think he took it?” Poe asked in surprise.

Lando shook his head impatiently.  “Of course he wouldn’t.  He’s just been taken prisoner, I would imagine.  Don’t you think so, Rey?”

Rey nodded mutely.

“They probably took him to their base, which is where we’re going.  So we’ll rescue him then,” Finn reassured her, patting her shoulder.  She didn’t look convinced, but nodded again.

“How’s the plan coming?” Rose asked.  “Are we almost ready?”

Poe glanced at Kaydel, signaling her to answer.  “The information we have seems accurate.  Finn, the Stormtroopers you befriended all seem to be here – ” she gestured to the location on the map “ – which is also where we theorize the bulk of the officers are located.  That’s where we’ll send you and a few volunteers to try to convince as many as possible to rebel against their masters.  If you are successful, we’ll send what air support we have to help take out the leadership of the First Order.  We don’t have the kind of fleet needed to mount a full-scale attack, but, if you have gotten the Stormtroopers to switch sides, or even to flee without engaging us, we should be able to make a stand against whoever remains loyal.”

“What if we don’t get them to switch?” Finn asked quietly after a tense pause.

Lando looked pointedly at Poe, who sighed.  “I don’t know, Finn.  You try to get out of there as quickly as you can.  If you are captured…  I don’t know if we’ll be able to rescue you,” he added gravely.

“Alright, well, we’ll just have to hope this works, then,” Finn replied resolutely.

“Who do you want on your team?” Kaydel asked.

“If our plan doesn’t work out, I can probably rewire some of the exhaust ports to trigger an explosion.  So it won’t be a total loss,” Rose suggested.

Finn looked at her sharply.  “Rose…”

“I’m going with you,” she said firmly.  “So I can keep you from doing anything dumb.”

He glanced at Poe then back at her.  “Alright, Rose.  I’ll be glad to have you with me.”

There was a sense of finality in his tone.  This wasn’t a last stand, was it?

“I’ll go,” Rey offered suddenly.

Poe frowned a little.  “We might need you here.”  His tone was doubtful and Kaydel wondered if he trusted Rey to leave again.  From her expression, she read this in his reaction and was offended.

“I could be very useful in helping people change their minds about something,” she defended herself.

If anything, that made Poe look more distressed.  “You can affect people’s thoughts?”

“Well, I mean, I have.  I don’t know how long it lasts or how effective it is,” she admitted.  “But I do know about that vine they have, and can get it back.  They have Chewie,” she added more quietly.

“This can’t be personal,” Rose said with a little more emphasis than Kaydel thought was really necessary.  Obviously rescuing her friend would be important to the Jedi.

Rey met her gaze and then nodded firmly.  “It won’t be,” she promised.  Rose looked satisfied while the rest watched the exchange with some confusion.

“Alright, well, I think we want to keep the team small in case things go south.  That’ll make it easier to hide or for us to extract you,” Poe stated calmly.  “Do you want anyone else?”

Finn shook his head.  “I think we got this.”

“Okay.  Then head down to the landing pad and get ready.  I’ll signal you when it’s time to go,” Poe ordered.

Kaydel led the way, pausing at the doorway to glance back at him while the other three exited.  She gave him a hopeful smile and he nodded, expression nervous.

“I think it’s going to work,” General Calrissian offered and Kaydel couldn’t help but agree as she headed after the others.

 

“General Organa sent some things while you were rescuing Rey, hence the rush,” Kaydel was explaining as they walked.  “Some other systems offered to employ the Stormtroopers if they leave the First Order.  Lando already made that offer,” she added for Rey’s benefit. 

That was nice of him, Rey thought.  Hopefully the other offers would be from people like him and not from people like Plutt.

“Thank you,” Finn said as they came to a stop by the ship they would apparently be taking.  He took Kaydel’s hand and shook it, then headed onboard.  Rose hugged the girl and Rey followed suit a moment later, albeit a bit awkwardly.

“May the Force be with you,” Kaydel called, then headed back inside.

“Who wants to fly this thing?” Finn asked as Rey and Rose got to the cockpit.

“I’ll do it,” Rey insisted.  Rose nodded and took a seat near the door.  “Ready?”  The coordinates were already in the computer, so off they went.

 

The only sound in the room was the weapon charging while they all watched in silence.  Chewie surveyed the situation and tried to discern a way out of this mess.  Ben’s growing anger was obvious, but there was no way to know if that would result in a helpful reaction.  It could be a strength if he could control it.  If not…

A mechanical ping indicated the thing was done.  Yavok turned back to Ben.  “You won’t be helping the Resistance with your little coded messages anymore.  We could use this to get rid of all of them, especially your girlfriend.  But I’m told it would be more effective if they give up instead of being destroyed.  We don’t want martyrs on our hands.  What do you think?”  She paused, but Ben didn’t respond except to glare ferociously at her.  “I wonder what might destroy morale enough to bring about their surrender.  Perhaps it would be the loss of their greatest leader.  You know, your mother.”

Without warning, Ben wrenched himself away from the other two and lunged at her.  She jumped back, self-assuredness instantly gone and replaced by fear.  Instead of attacking her, though, Ben began breaking apart the machine with a snarl.  He didn’t get very far before being forced back to the ground, this time on his stomach.  Aerena inspected the damage as her fellow Dark Siders subdued Ben.

“It should still work,” she asserted, sounding relieved.  The others agreed and no one else but Chewie seemed to notice that the casing was now empty.


	11. Crying 'cause your father's gone (fire from the tongues of liars)

Rey’s fingers clenched on the controls as they landed their stolen transport in the hangar bay of the First Order star destroyer.  They didn’t have any disguises with them, beyond the ship itself, so it was up to her to get them to the barracks unnoticed.  She would have to use the Force in ways that she had read about but hadn’t yet attempted.  No time like the present, she thought as they made their way furtively down the gangplank.  She focused on the Force.  It could distract the attention of anyone they passed.  When a person got close, she could think hard about a sound, like an officer’s orders or a mechanical malfunction, coming from a different direction, and they would wait for the person to follow the sound.  It was effective for one or two people.

Larger groups were more difficult.  She grabbed the sleeves of her friends to halt them when she sensed a whole patrol approaching to their left.  There were Force powers that might help, but it was easier to just pull Finn and Rose into a side corridor to wait until they passed.  Finn’s expression was taut with stress, though she supposed all of them were worried.  Rose looked more concerned about Finn than anything else.

“Ready?” she whispered when the sound of marching feet faded away.  They nodded, their faces turned to hers expectantly and she hoped fervently that she wouldn’t let them down.

Finn guided them to a laundry facility to get disguises that would make it easier to move around.  For some reason, he smiled fondly at Rose when they reached the place, and she blushed in response.  Rey didn’t ask what that was about – likely whatever she had missed while she was on Ahch-To.  Or the Supremacy.  Ben was probably here, but she tried not to think about it.  The mission was what was important right now.  She didn’t want to be distracted.

They changed into officers’ uniforms and continued on toward the barracks.  Finn wanted to talk to people he knew first, and they had information on where his old squad was.  Whether they would be on duty or not, or whether it would even be the same group of people, was anybody’s guess.  But it was a better plan than just picking a random group of Stormtroopers to go up to and broach the subject of betraying everything they’d been brought up to believe.

They were passing by another hangar when Rey had a familiar feeling, like she was being drawn toward something.  Though she had some reason to doubt that kind of feeling now, she did think she recognized this one.  Peering through the doorway, she was relieved to see the Falcon.  It was fitted with restraints so wouldn’t make much of a getaway vehicle if they wanted to avoid detection, but it looked like getting on board was a possibility.

“Psst, Finn!” she hissed.

He turned around and she motioned toward the Falcon.  He frowned and shook his head, gesturing for them to continue.  She mimed a lightsaber motion and nodded emphatically.  Rose giggled slightly as Finn threw up his hands in exasperation.

“Hurry,” he breathed, glancing up and down the corridor nervously.

She didn’t need to be told twice.  Checking to make sure the coast was clear, she jogged over to the ship and darted up the gangplank.  It clearly had been searched by the First Order from the way things were tossed around in the main room.  Good thing Han Solo had used the ship for smuggling, so there were all kinds of effective hiding spots.  Chewie must not have told them anything, which was a relief.  She reached out with the Force to sense him and was troubled to find him injured and upset.  Frowning, she grabbed her bag from its hiding spot, somewhat relieved to find that everything was as it should be, and rushed back to Rose and Finn.

Their silent journey through the ship continued for some time.  Rey pulled at her uniform uncomfortably, glancing to see if either Finn or Rose were doing the same thing.  They were not.  She tried to stop fidgeting with it and fretting about Chewie, but then a sudden spike of emotion drove all else from her thoughts.  She let out a gasp and bent forward, trying to catch her breath.  It wasn’t her fear she was feeling – at least not initially.  Chewie was afraid, but not for himself.

“This way,” she whispered insistently, barely registering if Finn and Rose protested or followed her as she hurried in the direction of her friend.

There!  The door was shut, though, and even in her heightened state, she didn’t think it would be the best idea to just open it and see what was inside.  Or whom.  She looked around and saw a ladder fitted into the wall, leading up into some kind of maintenance area.  As she started climbing, a hand grabbed her shoulder and she jumped.

“What are you doing?” Finn demanded, making an effort to keep his voice down.

“Chewie’s in there,” she replied firmly and tried climbing again.  Finn apparently accepted it this time, and even followed her, Rose on his heels.  She crawled forward, surrounded by wires, until she could see into the room below.  Her friends joined her and she could feel their confusion at what they were seeing.

Ben was there, on his stomach before a strange mechanical device.  Chewie was behind him, obviously injured and restrained.  A man she believed was called Hux stood with a handful of Stormtroopers near Chewie while two people in dark robes and masks held Ben in place.  A similarly-dressed third person inspected the device.  Not wanting to be noticed by the Dark Siders, Rey reached out hesitantly toward Ben in the Force but found he had cut himself off.  Could the others read him if he hadn’t?  What was he planning?  She chewed her lip anxiously, wondering if she should mount a rescue or wait for him to do whatever he intended.

“It should still work,” the third person said, sounding relieved as she turned back toward Ben.  “Now, shall we fire on Chandrila?  That’s where your mother is, you know.  The great Leia Organa, waiting for her wayward son to come home.  Did she know you were sending the Resistance messages?  That you and that Jedi girl were conspiring against us?  Did you think it would finally make her proud of you?  Too bad you’ll never find out if it worked.” 

She gave a cold laugh, then she froze, mirth gone as she stiffened with anger and whirled around.  “Where is it?  Get him up!” she snarled.  Her fellows were quick to obey while Hux moved a little further away.  Chewie growled when he got close, causing the general to recoil.  Rey smiled grimly – at least the Wookie could be counted on to some extent in a fight.

Ben got to his feet slowly, gauging their reactions as he held up the vine Rey recognized from Subterrel in his gloved hand.  It glowed eerily and they were all frozen, staring at it as though mesmerized.  _Ben!_ she cried out mentally and he glanced up sharply in her direction, eyes widening.  The Jedi texts referred to the plant she’d found and she focused on them.  Maybe there was a way to destroy it.  He must have realized before she did, because he nodded and pulled off the glove on his other hand with his teeth.  Then he closed his bare fingers around the stalk, cutting off the glow.  His agony whipped through the bond and it took all of Rey’s fortitude to keep from crying out at the shock of it.

“Get it back!” screeched one of the Dark Siders – Rey couldn’t concentrate well enough to determine which one – as Ben doubled over, his fist tightening around the plant firmly despite the pain caused by touching it.  She could feel the Force churning and blood pounded in her ears.  Ben snarled with effort and lightning crackled from his fingers, keeping the others from getting close enough to stop him.  Rey could read his intent and tried to get to her feet to stop him herself, except Finn and Rose grabbed hold of her arms.

She turned to demand that they release her, but a cry that could only have been Chewie’s pierced her thoughts as Ben dropped gracelessly to the floor.  The roiling torment that had been filling her mind cut off with shocking suddenness.  The Dark Siders were too late – when they finally got to him, the vine was gone.  Turned to ash.

Panic sliced through Rey as she felt an expanding emptiness in her mind.  A throbbing ache reminding her she was alone, so alone.  Someone took her hand – Rose – and steadied her.

“Is the weapon useless?” Hux asked sharply.  “Is he dead?”

“No,” answered one of the Dark Siders.  “Well, he does appear to have made the heroic sacrifice he always wanted,” she amended with a sneer.  “But the weapon was able to charge enough for one use.  Be judicious on where you want it fired.”

Hux considered.  “Bring the Wookie.  He can tell us where the Resistance base is.”

Chewbacca’s roars echoed through the halls, but the three Dark Siders were able to take him away before he brought down more than a handful of Stormtroopers.  Rey watched, frozen, as the room emptied until all that remained was Ben lay motionless on the floor near some broken mechanical pieces.  This couldn’t be happening.  It wasn’t supposed to go this way.

“We have to go,” Finn hissed in her ear.

She shook her head, tears rolling down her cheeks.

“Rey,” Rose tried, leaning closer.  “It’s time to choose.  What are you going to do?”

The urgency of her tone only caused a fresh wave of tears.  “Go.  Please.”

Rose looked disappointed in her, which was painful, but how could she leave now?  What if there was something she could do?  Even if there wasn’t…  She would be of no use on the mission so it might as well continue without her.  Maybe she could go save Chewie…

Rose jerked her head toward the exit while gazing meaningfully at Finn and they went out the way they had come.  Alone again, Rey waited a moment before moving hesitantly forward until she found a way to jump to the ground.  Then she hurried over to Ben.

 “Ben?  Ben!” she cried, kneeling beside him gingerly.  There was no response and she rolled him over to rest his head on her lap.  He was heavy, she thought irrelevantly as tears rolled down her cheeks.  His eyes were closed and he did not seem to be breathing.  He was – he was –

She leaned forward to rest on his chest while she cried.

 

Kaydel and Poe watched the map in silence, waiting for Rose or Finn to report.  They had clearly arrived on the First Order’s flagship.  Hopefully they had not been caught yet. 

“Don’t fret,” Lando Calrissian’s voice interrupted them as he clapped a hand on each of their shoulders.  “It’s a good plan.  I’m sure they’ll give us the go-ahead to send our fleet soon.”

Poe smiled slightly.  At least General Calrissian was with them.  He had led attacks on the Empire successfully, and been a major player in its final destruction.  He was a powerful ally.

“Thank you, sir,” Kaydel said almost shyly.  “I’m sure you’re right.”

“Of course I am.  Now, will you be flying in this adventure, Poe?  I hear you’re the best pilot in the Resistance,” he added, smiling.

Something like a laugh escaped Poe.  “I’m needed here,” he said, though he did wish he could leave.  Leading the Resistance was his duty, as entrusted by General Leia Organa herself, but he really would prefer to be in the air.  That was where he felt the most comfortable.

“I think Kaydel has everything well in hand here, though she may suffer some assistance from me.  I think our people can take all the help they can get, Dameron.”

Poe nodded slowly.  “I’ll think about, when the time comes,” he replied.

 

Rose walked silently behind Finn, no longer so worried about getting caught.  Poor, poor Rey.  She must be devastated.  Rose had been trying to reserve judgement regarding Kylo Ren, for Rey’s sake, but she certainly hadn’t expected him to sacrifice himself like that.  Or really any of the claims that the Dark Side woman had made about him.  It was unlikely that those were lies.  Maybe Rey had had good reason to be hopeful.  How hopeless she must be feeling now.

Finn paused at an intersection and looked back at her, puzzled.  Glancing around, he leaned closer to her.  “Did you expect any of that?” he asked.  “Was that holo true?”

“I don’t know.  I saw her with him before.  I… I didn’t want to say anything that might alter her plans.  But I didn’t know he was sending us information.  And I can’t quite believe he could be Leia’s son,” she added.  The galaxy knew who Leia’s father was, though, so maybe it wasn’t quite so shocking to learn who her son turned out to be.

Finn cleared his throat and shook his head slightly.  “I knew about that.”

“You did?” Rose asked, a little too loudly.

“On Starkiller Base.  We saw Kylo Ren kill Han Solo, who went out to him to convince his son to come home.  Unsuccessfully.”  He frowned at the memory, then shook his head again.  “I really don’t know what could have happened since then for Rey to be so broken up about it.  She was pretty angry at the time, and I think gave him that scar.  He certainly didn’t seem like he’d be sending any helpful messages when he was attacking us on Crait,” he continued.

Rose shook off the thought.  “Maybe she’ll tell us about it sometime.  For now,” she gestured ahead of them, toward the door to the barracks.  “Do you want to knock or should I?”

 

“Rey,” a voice startled her into sitting up to search for the source.  Standing a few feet away was a glowing and transparent version of Luke Skywalker, looking much more at peace than when she’d last seen him.

“Luke?” she whispered, shocked.

He nodded, expression sober.  “He’s not gone.”

“He isn’t?”  She tried to swallow the rising hope in her chest – would hurt her deeply if it proved false – as she looked down at Ben’s face.

“Destroying something that powerful took a tremendous amount of power and drained his lifeforce.  But he’s not gone, not yet.  He’s bonded to you,” Luke told her reassuringly.

Biting her lip, she nodded slowly.

“It is a difficult bond to break, even by death.  You can bring him back.  Concentrate on setting the Force to rights to heal the wound like you would a physical one,” he suggested.

Healing, like with Kaydel.  She had done that by focusing on the Light – would the same work here?  Think of the future you saw, she told herself as she placed a tentative hand on his chest.  Ben was there, no longer swathed in black, wearing his pain like a cloak.  He seemed at peace with himself.  They had a house, a home on a green planet.  Leia was there.  So were children, Force-sensitive ones to be trained.  Not in the Dark or the Light – a balance.

Ben sat up abruptly, gasping for air.  She flung herself at him, wrapping her arms tightly around his chest.  He tensed at first before embracing her in return.  “Rey,” he murmured.  Then he drew back slightly to look at her.  “What happened?  Why are you dressed like that?”

She had forgotten her disguise.  “I saved your life, dummy.  What difference does it make how I’m dressed?” she demanded, laughter escaping her through the tears.

“You’re right,” he replied, sounding confused as he looked around.  “Uncle?”

“I told you I’d see you around.  I didn’t mean because you’d be joining me so soon, kid,” Luke clarified with a smile.

Ben absorbed this with an eye-twitch.  “Rey, we have to go, they have a weapon – ”

“They said it had only one use since you destroyed that plant thing.”

Her tone might have been accusing because he looked uncomfortable.  Pulling back, he got to his feet, walking over to look at the mechanical detritus.  “I had to.  They’ve been searching for it for a long time and I knew what they wanted to do with it.”  He paused, looking back at her.  “You escaped the trap on Subterrel.  By yourself.  No one can do that.”

Flushing, she got up to join him.  “Well, I am no one.”

“No, you’re not,” he said sharply, frowning down at her.  “You never were.”

The weight of his gaze was too intense and she had to look away.  She was all-too aware of Luke watching the exchange.  She cleared her throat and glanced at him.

He smiled.  “The time of the Jedi is over, but I am glad that you will be the one to lead the new generation of Force-users.  Both of you,” he added with a wink and disappeared.

Ben was still looking at her in that way of his when she turned back to him.  “How did you do it?  Bring me back, I mean.”

“I just… thought about how to balance things.  In the future,” she added begrudgingly.

 “Whose future?” Ben asked, moving slowly closer.  He didn’t touch her but she wished he would.

“Ours,” she whispered.

“Rey,” he said, voice thick with emotion.  “You think that… that we could have a future?  Together?”

“Yes, Ben” she told him and saw the self-loathing in his expression, like he was about to deny that she could want such a thing.  Rising on her tiptoes, she pressed a kiss to his cheek.  “We have work to do first, though,” she said and took his hand to lead him out of the room. 

“My lightsaber is gone.  Do you have any weapons?” he asked, tightening his grip on her.

“Oh, well, good thing I fixed these, then,” she replied, and pulled the twin lightsabers out of her bag, one made from each of the halves of the Kyber crystal they’d broken last time.  “I couldn’t put it back together, but, I thought, maybe I could make two new ones.”

He inspected the one she’d handed him.  “This looks good.  You’re very talented, you know.  Especially at fixing broken things,” he added.

She grinned, flushing again at the compliment and its implications.  “Ready?” she asked.

He nodded somberly.  “Always.”


	12. Dreaming 'til you hit the truth (we can't die because we're young)

They were dressed as officers, Finn reminded himself.  The Stormtroopers would not attack on sight.  They would remember him.  The First Order would probably not have told anyone about his defection because such things could be contagious.  That was what this mission was counting on, after all, so hopefully Phasma’s fears in that regard would be realized.

He looked over at Rose, who gave him an encouraging nod.  His mind was still reeling from what they had seen with Kylo Ren, but he would just have to process that later.  Taking a deep breath, he stood up straight and put on his most intimidating face.

“Attention!” he bellowed.

There was the sound of scuffling inside before the door opened and a dozen Stormtroopers hastily presented themselves, getting into formation in the hallway.  He glanced over them quickly and was relieved that these were, indeed, the Stormtroopers he had been looking for.  He cleared his throat and waited a moment, trying to decide where to start.

“Do you remember me?” he asked.

They shifted uncertainly, surprised by the unorthodox question.  Then all but two of them nodded.  That was a relief – at least most of his original unit was still together.

“What did they tell you happened to me?”

There was a pause again as they struggled with this new state of affairs.  “We thought you were dead, sir,” one of them finally answered.

“I’m clearly not,” he said flatly.  “That was a lie.  Turns out they’ve been lying to us quite a bit over the years.”

They went completely still and he glanced at Rose.  She was a little concerned, given her expression.  He looked back toward the Troopers.

“Take off your masks,” he ordered.

Stormtroopers were never to take off their masks, except to eat.  And, even then, that was only allowed in the mess hall.  It was the only place he’d ever really felt comfortable or had any kind of camaraderie with his fellows.  When they were in uniform, they were not supposed to chat or do anything else that might distract them from their orders.  It was a lot of pressure to always play that role.  From the way his former colleagues were looking around nervously but also with a hint of relief, he thought this really would work.

“Why do you serve the First Order?” he asked bluntly.

The shock on their faces made him smile a little and Rose seemed similarly amused as she checked the adjacent corridors for anyone who might interrupt them.

“Sir?” the trooper closest to him questioned, glancing back at the others.

“Is it because you share their ideals?  You, too, want to take over the galaxy?  Is it because they treat you well?  Or is it because you have nowhere else to go?”

They shuffled their feet and fixed their gazes on the floor, perhaps expecting some kind of punishment for agreeing to any of it.

“I’m not part of the First Order, not anymore.  I left because I didn’t want to kill for them.  And because I knew they would have little use for a Stormtrooper who didn’t want to kill anyone,” he added dryly.  “My friend and I can offer you another path, if you want to leave.  We can give you a real life, where you have freedom to do what you want to do, if you’ll help us overthrow the First Order.”

“The twelve of us?” one of the Stormtroopers he didn’t know asked dubiously.

He smiled.  “This is just the beginning.  I think it’s time the officers learn that we are more than just bantha fodder.  What do you think?”

 

General Hux walked with the Knights of Ren and the Wookie back toward the detention sector, enduring the angry roars of their prisoner.  It was a struggle to move him along.  He kept trying to get back to the room where they had left the former Supreme Leader.  Hux was losing patience very quickly, though he had to admit it had been a good day.  He supposed he could now take on the role of Supreme Leader.  The Knights had shown no interest in the job and he felt confident that he could sway things in his favor if they did.  The weapon they promised had turned out to be more trouble than it was worth, but there might still be one good use for it – they just had to find the Resistance’s base.  From this snarling animal.

He cleared his throat as Qipo Ren struck the Wookie for stopping.  “I believe I have another idea.  Please continue taking the creature to be detained,” he added, turning to leave.

Iton Ren grabbed his arm in a vicelike grip.  His Stormtroopers reached for their weapons but he waved them off.  “You are not our master, General,” she snarled coldly.

He sniffed delicately.  “It appears that you not longer have one, Ren.  Perhaps you should consider if you wish to remain affiliated with the First Order or not.  We would appreciate your assistance in our work, of course.  But if you would prefer not to take part…” he shrugged.  “We are an efficient organization.  We do not endure things that have no use.”

When he started walking again, she released him.  They might be a problem later but, for now, their plan was falling apart and he had better fix things.  His Stormtroopers followed him dutifully as he headed toward the storage room in which they had found Kylo Ren and the Wookie earlier.

“Go fetch a tech.  And start mustering the troops,” he ordered one of his people, who hastened to obey.  With any luck, the fool had left enough breadcrumbs in his noble idiocy to discover where the messages had been sent.  And, if not, well, maybe the Knights would have some luck.

 

Ben hadn’t exactly intended to sacrifice himself to stop the Knights from using the weapon.  But, when he saw a chance to thwart in their plan, he had to take it.  Rey had brought him back from the brink.  Because she envisioned a future with him.  What would it look like?  The only future he’d thought of with her was about her joining his side, initially as maybe his apprentice, later as more of a partner.  But now…  Well, his side wasn’t too fond of him, so that wasn’t really an option any more.  There was a whole galaxy of opportunity and he was terrified at the prospect.

Rey squeezed his hand and he looked down at her while they hurried after Chewie.  It wasn’t hard to figure out which way he’d been taken – his roars were still echoing down the corridors.  Ben had the lightsaber Rey had made in one hand and held her hand with the other.  She smiled briefly up at him and he felt instantly calmer.  She had faith that this would all work out for the best and he was willing to believe her.

“Who were those Dark Siders?” she wanted to know.

Perhaps because of the roaring Wookie who proceeded them, they weren’t passing anyone in the hallway, so could talk freely for once.  “The Knights of Ren,” he explained, glancing down the crossing corridor to see that the coast was clear before they continued.

“No, I mean, who were they to you.  They knew your mother,” she added when he didn’t answer.  Oh.  She would ask that.

“They were those of Luke’s apprentices who chose the Dark Side after… everything.”

She nodded, accepting the explanation calmly, much to his surprise.  “There were only three of them.”

“Yes.  There were seven of us originally.  But Snoke deemed the rest less loyal than he would have preferred.”

A slight pause in her stride was her only reaction to that.  “Did you kill them?  The rest?”

He swallowed.  He did not want to be talking about this right now.  Or at all, but certainly not while they were in such hostile environment, trying to save Uncle Chewie.  “A few.  After Luke attacked me, some of the other students took my side.  Some did not.  It got heated.  I didn’t mean to kill anyone, but,” he shrugged helplessly, trying not to think about that night.  “Half of us did not walk away.”

“I know about that.  I meant the other Knights.  The one’s who weren’t loyal enough or whatever Snoke told you.”

“Oh.  No, I didn’t.”  He could feel her gazing at him expectantly.  “I sent them away.  They defended me when I most needed help; I wasn’t going to let them suffer for that, no matter how things might have changed.  Snoke thought they were dead, so did the remaining Knights.  But I couldn’t do it.”

She halted and stared at him.  He stopped as well.  “You don’t make a very good Sith Lord, you know, not wanting to kill anyone.” she pointed out with a startling frankness.

“Snoke would agree with you.  I wasn’t a very good Dark Side apprentice,” he agreed, and she laughed.  He wasn’t sure how to react to that, except to think it was a lovely sound.  “I wasn’t very good at the Light Side, either,” he found himself saying.

Her expression sobered and she squeezed his hand again, communicating more than her words might have.  “Come on,” she replied gently, and they continued.

Finally, they caught up to Chewie and his captors.  The corridor they were in was long and had nowhere to hide.  They didn’t bother.  Instead, they glanced meaningfully at each other, then took off running toward the Knights.  He had to let go of Rey’s hand, which was unfortunate, but likely for the best.  He’d hate to get in the way of her vicious attacks.

Iton and Qipo ran at him while Zyot ran toward Rey.  Chewie was still injured, so remained where he was, but stopped roaring when he spotted them.  Back at Luke’s school, Iton and Qipo had trained together.  They presented a unified front and it was going to be a challenge to take them down.  He ignited the lightsaber, swung it around once to test it, then charged.

He kept himself centered in the Force to aid his attack.  He could feel Rey nearby and he knew what he had to do.

 

“I still can’t reach any of them,” Kaydel told Poe, her brow creased with worry.

The anxiety that had been building since Finn and his team had left took a spike and he gritted his teeth.  “Alright.  Well, hopefully it’s just because they’re busy.”

“It’s worse than that, I’m afraid,” General Calrissian interrupted, motioning toward the screen he had been observing.  “They found us.”

He and Kaydel rushed over to see the increasing number of dots approaching them that could only be troop transport ships.  A quick glance at their own intel from before the mission proved that this was the case.  Poe swore under his breath.  “How long will it take to evacuate?”

“Too long,” was Calrissian’s cool response.

“What should we do?” Poe asked, momentarily at a loss.

“I’ll start the evacuation of my people.  You do the same.  And, General, I think this might be the time to get back in the cockpit.”

 

Rey’s lightsaber was holding up so far.  She wanted to inspect it to see how the parts she had designed were reacting to the stress, but obviously this was not the time for that.  It did not feel the same as when she had wielded the Skywalker lightsaber – it felt more natural, actually.  She wondered how Ben felt using his half.  She had kept track of which side of the broken kyber crystal had gone toward each of them on the Supremacy, in case it made a difference.  Whether it did or not, she was pleased by the color.

The woman whom she was fighting was well-trained, but had not grown up on a planet where having poor combat skills meant that you did not eat.  Rey made her way across the floor, keeping up defensive tactics but making only enough offensive attacks to keep her opponent from getting suspicious.  Until she’d maneuvered the two of them to get the Dark Sider’s back to Chewie.  He may have been injured and exhausted, but he was still a powerful ally.  He brought down one of his fists on the woman’s head and she dropped like a stone.

“Thank you,” Rey said politely and he growled that it was nothing.  Then she ran over to help Ben, heading for his female opponent.  That may have been a mistake.  As soon as she got close, the woman turned around and began a barrage of attacks that kept Rey jumping back for several steps.  That must have tired her out to some extent, fortunately, because Rey was able to take back some ground when she paused.  She could feel the Force flowing around them as both pushed it toward the other, trying to get the other one off-balance.

She didn’t dare take her eyes off her opponent to see how Ben was faring against his.  It was taking all of her concentration to keep her defense up.  She was trying to keep track of their surroundings, to both avoid getting too close to where Ben was, and to search for anything else that might be useful.  It was clear that this woman would not be tricked into backing up to Chewie, even if Rey could do more than just hold her ground.

The woman surged forward unexpectedly and reached out to catch Rey’s wrist, wrenching it painfully.  For a terrifying moment, Rey thought she might be about to lose her hand, but the woman stopped, glaring down at her as she bent sideways to reduce the pain.  “The Jedi are gone.  We destroyed them.  Who are you?” she wanted to know, sounding shocked.

“I’m Rey,” she replied simply, and twisted her arm to free it, using her free hand to knock the lightsaber from her opponent’s hand while she was distracted.  Then she stood tall, holding her own weapon to the woman’s throat.  “Yield.”

Glancing toward her fellows, the woman did as commanded, lowering herself to her knees.  Rey realized that the room was silent and looked quickly toward Ben.  He was out of breath, but appeared uninjured.  The third Knight was sprawled on the floor but appeared to still be alive.  She thought of what Ben had said about sending the others away.

“Will you send them away, too?” she asked him.

The woman’s head jerked up sharply, seeming very interested in the question.  Ben turned off his lightsaber and walked closer, looking down at her.  “What do you think, Rey?”

She shrugged, then cocked her head, listening.  “There’s an alarm going off.”

“It’s calling Stormtroopers to muster.  Hux must have found your base,” he replied, gauging her reaction.  “We have to go.  Now.  We’ll just… bring them,” he added.  She smiled slightly and nodded her assent.  Time to get to the Falcon.

 

The alarm called all of the Stormtroopers to their muster stations.  Rose thought that their armor was very uncomfortable and hoped that it wouldn’t take too long for them to be able to return to their regular clothes.  She and Finn were hiding with his former squad, which was maybe not the original plan.  They had not expected the entire star destroyer to be getting ready for an attack, though they could easily guess where they were headed.  But they needed to talk to a large number of Stormtroopers and this seemed to be the easiest way to do so.

Finn took her hand as their transport ship made the jump to hyperspace.  It wouldn’t be long now, before things were over, one way or another.

 

“Poe, troop ships have entered the Bespin system,” Kaydel’s voice crackled through his comm.

“Alright,” he replied, lacking anything else to say as he continued the start-up process for his X-Wing.  Well, an X-Wing – his had been destroyed.  BB-8 beeped at him and he smiled.  “You ready, buddy?  Let’s get up there.”  They took off, leading his flight in a rough formation toward the approaching ships.  “Don’t fire until they fire on us,” he ordered.  This was met with some resistance, but he repeated the order firmly.  If there was a chance of Finn and Rose being successful, he didn’t want to give the Stormtroopers another reason to attack.

 

“Ready?” Rose whispered, pulling out some wires and reattaching them in a different order in the control panel of their ship.  Finn looked nervous, but nodded.  “Okay, it should be broadcasting now,” she said, getting to her feet.

Finn cleared his throat.  “Hello.  My designation is FN-2187.  I was one of you for over twenty years before I defected and joined the Resistance.  Some of you would call me a traitor.  But traitor to whom?  Captain Phasma?  She traded her life for Starkiller Base and everyone on board.  General Hux?  He doesn’t think of us as more than bantha fodder and you know it.  The Supreme Leader?  Snoke is dead, killed by Kylo Ren, who was killed today by his Knights. 

“There is no future for you, nor for the First Order.  Phasma is dead – I killed her myself.  Hux is a coward.  He won’t defend any of you.  He designed the program that took us from our families, that forced us to work and kill and stripped away who we are.  Why would you defend him?

“I am here on behalf of the Resistance.  I am here to make you an offer.  This planet is a mining colony and Lando Calrissian has offered work and a home to anyone who will take it.  We have other allies who are willing to make similar offers.

“You don’t have to fight for a master who has never cared about you.  Who sees you as just one more suit of armor to send after their enemies.  Is that really what you want?  Our terms are simple – accept our offer for your surrender.  We will take care of the officers that have held you enslaved.  What is your choice?”


	13. You'll find that you've nothing to lose (fire from the tongues of liars)

Poe Dameron sat in his X-Wing, his jaw tense but the rest of him loose, speeding toward the First Order’s troop ships.  “Come on, Finn,” he muttered as he flicked a few switches to prepare his cannons.  BB-8 beeped in concern.  “It’ll be okay, buddy,” he told it, though he wasn’t sure he believed that to be true.

As they got closer, it became apparent that the other ships were not moving.  He bit his lip and dared to hope that Finn had been successful.  When they were some distance away, he slowed down, coming nearly to a stop.  Still, the ships just hung there, almost eerie in their stillness.  “Kaydel?”

“Their transports are at full capacity.  There is no technical explanation for why they have not attacked,” she explained, exultation apparent in her tone.

He felt a smile tug at his lips as well.  “Finally, some good news.  See if you can patch me into their comms.”

“Right away, Poe.”

He let out the breath he had been holding.  His readout showed that Kaydel had done as asked.  “This is the Resistance.”

“Hi, Poe,” came Finn’s voice. 

He had never been more relieved to hear his friend’s voice.  “Finn!  It went well, I take it?” he teased.

“Yeah, it did.  Everyone’s ready to defect.  Should we head for the landing platforms?”

“That sounds like a great idea.”

 

“What are they doing?” Hux demanded, his gloved hand tightening on the chair of some tech or another. 

The man in question shifted uncomfortably.  “Nothing, sir.  It appears.”

He swore violently.  “Get me in contact with them.  Where are the Knights of Ren?”

An officer came running onto the bridge.  “Sir!  The Wookie and his ship have escaped!”

“By himself?”

“No, sir.  There were Jedi with him.  They took the Knights of Ren prisoner,” the officer continued hastily, out of breath.

Hux was silent for a moment, glaring out the front of the ship.  “Take us to them.  If our people want to defect, they are not going to enjoy the experience for long.  Ready the weapon.”

“Yes, sir.”

 

“Looks like we can stop the evacuation process, General,” Kaydel reported, grinning.

“Success, then?” Lando asked, looking over her shoulder.

“Yes, sir.  The Stormtroopers are requesting clearance to land in order to surrender.”

“Wonderful.  I’ll tell my people.”

 

Rose took Finn’s hand has they walked down the gangplank of their transport ship.  She was so proud of him – he’d saved them all.  The war was over – or very nearly, anyway.  The Stormtroopers with them had removed their helmets and were looking around a little nervously.  “This way,” she told them, thinking how lucky they were to be here on Cloud City, a place she’d always dreamed of going.

“You did it,” she murmured to Finn, smiling up at him.

“We did it,” he corrected, lifting their clasped hands to kiss hers.  “Thank you for going with me.”

“Of course.”

She motioned for the former Stormtroopers to join their fellows once they reached an intersection of platforms.  Some of Lando’s people had arrived and took them from there.  Rose and Finn stayed outside to greet the former Stormtroopers as they joined the Resistance.

“What about Rey?” Rose asked during the pause between groups.

Finn stiffened and glanced at her sharply.  “Kaydel?” he said into his comm.  “Any sign of the Falcon?”

There was a pause.  “Yes,” came her response, muffled a little.  “It left the First Order ship a few minutes ago.  But, Finn, I think their ship is following.”

Her voice was worried and Rose looked at Finn in concern.  “Tell Poe.  Seems like we’re going to need our air support after all,” he said grimly.

 

“Poe, the First Order is heading this way.  I don’t think they liked that we took their Stormtroopers,” Kaydel told him urgently. 

He had just set down his X-Wing and been about to disembark.  “We’ll get back in the air,” he replied quickly, motioning to his fellow pilots.  “We might still need to evacuate.  But you need to at least get all those people inside.”

 

There were sirens blaring as Finn and Rose herded the last few squads into the City itself.  Finn turned back, searching the sky anxiously.  There!  The Millennium Falcon broke atmosphere and headed toward them at a breakneck pace.  He instinctively grabbed Rose and pulled her behind him, backing them out of the way as it came down hard.

The gangplank lowered and Rey ran down it before it hit the ground, followed more slowly by the man he knew as Kylo Ren.  He blinked in shock – wasn’t he dead?

“We have to evacuate!  The First Order has a weapon and is about to attack,” Rey explained breathlessly when she reached him.  He glanced toward the other man, who was hanging back a little way, before returning his gaze to her.

“Evacuate?” he responded numbly.

“What kind of weapon?” Rose asked at the same time.

“A bad one.  It will kill everyone if we don’t get them off this planet immediately,” Rey insisted impatiently, grabbing their hands to pull them toward the ship.

 He resisted, shaking his head slightly.  “Poe?  Kaydel?  We have to evacuate.  Right now,” he shouted into his comms.  “We can’t just leave,” he told Rey firmly, turning to head back inside.  The last additions to the Resistance were not far ahead and he began shouting for them to return to their ships.  Rose joined him, repeating the command more calmly.

It was near pandemonium, but he was aware of Rey and her… friend joining them to help get everyone back out toward their ships.  Poe and Kaydel may have answered him via comms but it was too loud to hear them.  He focused on getting the people he’d just promised to help back to safety.

Then, suddenly, all became deafening silence.  He looked out the nearest viewport and saw the First Order’s flagship, just close enough to see outside their orbit.  It made him go cold and no one around him moved for a long moment.  Except for one person – Kylo Ren, walking toward it.  Rey gave a shout but was too surrounded by people to follow.

Finn hurried over to her automatically, bringing Rose with him, and they headed after him.  Everyone else remained frozen, uncertain whether making a break for their ships was a better idea than weathering whatever would happen inside.  The wind was whistling past his ears as he and Rose and Rey made their way across the landing platform toward the Falcon.  And closer to where Kylo Ren was standing.  Was he trying to escape?  Save himself?

“Ben!  What are you doing?” Rey demanded.  Whatever he might have answered was cut off by an ear-splitting boom, followed by a green light leaving the ship.  It seemed to expand as it approached Finn could easily imagine it enveloping the entire planet.  He opened his mouth to shout an order, though he wasn’t even sure what he would say, when Kylo Ren lifted his hand toward it.  And it stopped.

 

“The First Order has arrived,” Kaydel reported to Lando in as calm a tone as she could manage.

“We will continue the evacuation.  Maybe a few ships will be able to get out,” he replied with grim determination.

She nodded and continued giving the necessary orders.  Until the weapon fired on them.  Then she jumped up, staring out the viewport in shock.  Everyone in the room was silent, watching it approach.  Maybe it was an optical illusion, but it seemed to stop suddenly.  People began to whisper incredulously.

Lando got to his feet and commanded their attention.  “I don’t know what’s happening out there.  But we need to get our people to safety.  Continue the evacuation.  Now.”  And everyone scrambled to do so.

 

Ben had stopped blasters before but they were nothing like this.  The raw power was daunting and he was struggling almost immediately.  It drove him to his knees but he held out, focusing on keeping the beam where it was.  He was aware of Rey calling his name but couldn’t spare a thought to respond to her.

She was pulling the remaining glove off his hand for some reason, then wrapped her fingers around his.  Suddenly, it became easier.  He dared to glance over and saw she was holding her hand out like he was, her brow furrowed in concentration.

“We can’t hold it forever,” he told her as he got to his feet.

“We can for long enough,” she replied resolutely.

Her two friends caught up to them, seeming shocked.  “How are you doing that?” the former FN-2187 wanted to know.

“It’s the Force,” the woman with him pointed out impatiently.  “What should we do?” was her more useful question.

“Finish the evacuation,” Rey insisted with clenched teeth.

They nodded and hurried away.  He tightened his grip on Rey’s hand.  They couldn’t turn the weapon back – it would have to consume the planet eventually.  He just hoped they could hold it long enough for everyone – including Rey – to escape.

 

“What’s going on down there?” Hux snarled, his hands clenched behind his back as he surveyed the utter lack of destruction.

“It’s unclear, sir,” one of the braver techs answered after a moment.

He glared and continued pacing, wishing the Knights hadn’t vanished as such an inconvenient moment.  Surely they could explain why the weapon wasn’t working properly.  And might be able to do something about the approaching Resistance fighters.

 

Lando Calrissian was exhausted, needing his cane more than usual as he made his way through his City.  He wouldn’t say he was saying goodbye to it, not exactly, but there was certainly the thought that he might never see it again.  He’d known what he was getting into, inviting the Resistance here, helping Leia.  So he was prepared for this eventuality.  Still, there were many things he wished he could have done.

He’d seen where the Millennium Falcon had landed and headed that way.  His people were evacuating using ships on all of the landing platforms.  There was not a lot of competition to head toward the threat like he was.  The nice young woman, Kaydel, had offered to go with him, but he insisted she continue to direct her people.  She was good at it.  Their leader, Dameron, and his people were in their X-Wings, firing on the First Order ship.  Though the shields would likely hold out for a while.

When he got to the landing platform, he stopped short, thinking of when he’d seen Han Solo walk out of that same ship, seeking his help, all those years ago.  So it took a moment to realize the figure he saw near the Falcon was not Han.

“Ben?”

The young man flinched, glancing toward him briefly.  “Uncle Lando?”  He sounded surprised but perhaps less so than he was.

“Uncle?” Finn echoed, exchanging a look with Rose.  Rey frowned a little but she and Ben kept their attention on the weapon.

“The last ships are taking off,” Lando offered uncertainly, unable to take his eye off of his nephew.  How had he ended up here?  He had so many questions.

“Then we’d better go, too,” Finn said, taking Rose’s hand.  “Rey?” he questioned.

The Jedi clenched her teeth.  “Go get on the Falcon.  Have Chewie get it ready.  He’s injured, you’ll have to help him.  We’ll be along shortly.”

Lando nodded but couldn’t resist patting Ben’s shoulder as he walked by.  “I’m looking forward to hearing your story, young man.”  Then he headed on board.

 

Rey had not known that Ben could do this.  When the weapon had been deployed, she had thought that there was nothing to do but die alongside her friends.  But he’d stopped it.  Just walked out there and used the Force to stop it like he’d known it was something he could do.  She was going to have to ask him about it later.  And why no one had mentioned this kind of ability to her, not him or Luke, not even her texts.  Taking his hand made it easy enough to join in the effort, though she was shocked by how much it took out of her.

General Calrissian reported that the evacuation was done and she sent them all aboard the Falcon, where Chewie was, and where the Knights were still restrained.  Ben’s strength was giving out, but they were nearly finished.

“How do we do this?” she asked gently.

“Do what?” he responded, his breathing ragged.

“Get on the Falcon and take off before it hits.”

“I don’t think we can.”

She turned to glare at him.  “What do you mean?”

“I’ll stay here.  Keep it at bay till you’re safe,” he told her.

“No,” she insisted, tears beginning to prick her eyes.

He frowned slightly.  “Rey…  You’re the one who’s needed, not me.  You have to go.”

She took a deep, shuddering breath as a few tears escaped.  “That’s not true.”

“They do need you,” he replied firmly.  “They need their hero.”

“That’s not what I meant.  Ben…  I need you,” she admitted softly.  “Please, come with me.  We can escape together.”

He processed this for a moment.  “You need me?  Why?”

She sniffed.  “No one else… understands.  We have a bond, Ben.  If you die, it will just be like – like a wound.  Please.  We could have a future together, couldn’t we?”

“I don’t know,” he murmured gently.

“Do you want a future with me?” she pressed.

“Yes.”

“Then let’s get out of here.”  She took his hand and dragged him forward.  Their focus had wavered and the impending weapon inched closer, becoming harder to hold off.  Until they were on the Falcon, a place he had not been in so many years.  He was vaguely aware that she could feel the emotions roiling through him and must have realized that his concentration had been broken.  “Chewie, punch it!”


	14. You'll find that you've nothing to prove

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!

General Hux stood with his hands clasped tightly behind his back as he glared out the viewport.  This weapon was supposed to end things, once and for all.  The Resistance was evacuating while the blast from the weapon hung suspended.  The Stormtroopers were reported to have defected to the last man, so he did not have the manpower to scramble the fighters to go after them.  Most of their ship’s power had been used by the weapon and it would take a few moments to be able to fire more effective alternatives.  And this day had been going so well.

Suddenly, the green beam of light moved again.  The bridge went silent as they watched it reach its target at last, enveloping the planet in the sickly green hue.  Then it was gone.

“Did it work?” he demanded.

“The structures remain intact,” one officer reported.

He snorted.  “What of the Resistance?”

“It appears, sir, that they had completed their evacuation.”

“What?”  This was unaccountable.  All that for nothing?  Force-users!  Their ideas always turned out to be useless.

“General, the Resistance is making contact.”

He struggled to compose himself.  “Fine, patch them through.”

“General Hugs?” a familiar voice echoed through the bridge and his lip curled in disdain.  He knew better than to answer.  “I have a real message this time, General.”

“Let’s have it, then,” he snapped.

“Your weapon was ineffective.  Your Stormtroopers defected.  The officers in your fleet could all fit on one transport.  Are you willing to surrender?”

“Yes, fine.”

There was a pause.  “What are your terms?”

“I’ll consult with my officers and send them to you.”

“Thank you.”

Hux turned toward the tech and indicated that the connection be severed.  Then he addressed his people.  “Send a message to the rest of our fleet, but do not engage with the Resistance.  Surrender, whatever the terms.  You understand that I will not be here when we are boarded.”  He waited to see if anyone would protest, then headed for the escape pods.

 

Poe Dameron kept an eye on the First Order ship from his X-Wing.  It was a victory today, hopefully a lasting one.  There was the rest of the fleet to consider, but the Stormtroopers in it were likely to join their fellows in mutiny.  A surrender would be in the best interest of the officers of the First Order.  Especially since they were not known for their heroic behavior.  There was little chance that they would remain affiliated with the regime when it was definitively the losing side.

“Kaydel, did everyone make it off the planet?”

“Everyone’s reported in, Poe.”

“Good.  Are there any remaining effects from the weapon?”

There was a pause while she checked.  “Our scans show that the little plant life on the surface was destroyed, but the infrastructure for the mines and the city remain intact and are presenting no continued effects.”

“Thank you.  Send them back to Cloud City.  We can help the Stormtroopers settle in.  Then I think we should move to a new base, keep it from being too crowded.”

“You think the galaxy will still need the Resistance?”

He considered.  The idea of not being part of the movement had not occurred to him.  He’d spent his whole life with Rebellion leaders and they had naturally morphed into the Resistance when the First Order rose.  Still, it was not a dissatisfying thought.  “For a little while.  Until the rest of them are locked up or something.  Is there anywhere you’d like to go?”

“I was born on Dulathia.  Would be nice to go back.”

A smile crossed his face.  “I’ll see what I can do to get you back there, then, Kaydel.”

“Thank you, Poe.”

His expression turned into a frown as he spotted something breaking off from the main ship.  An escape pod.  “Where does he think he’s going?” he wondered aloud.

“Poe?”

Instead of answering, he fired up his engine and gave chase – hardly a contest.  “BB-8, launch the grappling hook,” he ordered when they got close.  It was easy enough to latch onto the pod.  Getting it down safely on the landing platform might be another story, but he saw no reason not to try.  The landing was unsurprisingly bumpy, possibly a bit more so than it had to be.  He climbed out of the cockpit and went to check it out.

“Ah, General Hugs.  What a pleasure to meet in person.”  The other man glared fiercely, but resigned himself to his fate when Poe leveled a blaster at him.  “Come on, then,” he ordered and escorted the general to some of Calrissian’s people.

“You won’t keep me here for long,” Hux growled as he was led away.

Poe smiled.  “No, I’m sure there are a lot of people who will want your head.  I hope you’ll be comfortable while you’re with us,” he added politely, and went off to find Kaydel.

 

Rey sat by the Dejarik table on the Falcon, trying to stay awake.  Ben sat next to her, his eyes closed.  She wondered how much of the exhaustion she was feeling was actually his.  Everyone else was in the cockpit, fortunately – except for the Knights, of course, who were locked up in the hold – and she was glad to be alone with Ben.  It was only maybe, what, the fourth time she had been so in person.

“Ben,” she murmured.

He opened an eye to look down at her.

“What’s going to happen next?”

“You’ll have to tell me – you’re the one with visions of the future.”

She frowned slightly.  “That’s not what I meant.”

“I know,” he replied resignedly, reaching for her hand.  He brought it to his lips gently and she felt her cheeks growing warm.  “What do you want to do next, Rey?”

“Help the Resistance, if they need us.”

“Alright.  What if they don’t?”

“Then…  I don’t know.  Maybe find other people who do.”

He frowned slightly.  “Like whom?”

She shrugged.  “Other Force-sensitive people, maybe.  Ones who want to be trained.  Without having to leave their families,” she added when he stiffened.

“You would be good at that.”

“You would, too,” she insisted.  “I’ve only had a couple days of formal training and could use the help.”

A smile tugged at his lips.  “That’s all you got from Luke?”

“I got the sacred texts,” she countered.

“So you did.”  He closed his eyes again, leaning back.  Then opened them suddenly to look at her.  “You ‘got’ them?  He didn’t give them to you?”

She flushed for a different reason.  “He wasn’t using them,” she defended herself.

A laugh was startled out of him and she smiled in spite of herself.  “Scavenger,” he called her with an unexpected level of affection in his tone.

“I learned a lot of useful life skills scavenging.  Collecting items that won’t be missed, defending yourself and what’s yours, fixing broken things…” she trailed off uncomfortably, acutely aware of how different his upbringing had likely been as the son of a princess.

His expression sobered and he reached hesitantly to touch her cheek.  “Yes, you are good at fixing broken things,” he agreed softly.

She wondered if he could feel the heat in her cheeks as she leaned into his touch.  “You’re not broken,” she told him.

“Yes, I am.”

She swallowed, then reached out to trace her fingers down the scar that bisected his face, feeling a wave of guilt wash over her.  “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“Don’t be, Rey.”  She started to protest and he shook his head slightly.  “I deserved it.  I don’t deserve anything else from you,” he added, pulling his hand away.

The loss sent a spike of devastation through her.  Without thinking, she leaned forward instinctually and pressed her lips to his.  He didn’t move, frozen, for a beat.  Then he kissed her back, and she went on not thinking for some time.

“We deserve this,” she told him firmly when they broke apart.  “To be together.  To… to not be alone anymore.”

He nodded, then put his arm around her to draw her close.  “If that’s what you want.”

“It is.”

 

“So, how does Rey know Ben?” Lando Calrissian asked his new friends, and one old one, as they waited to return to his city.

There was an uncomfortable silence before Chewie growled a response.

“Really?  How exciting.  I hope she’ll tell me all about it when we land.”

“You could go ask her now,” Finn said, expression somewhat doubtful.

Lando laughed.  “Oh, I don’t think my nephew would appreciate an interruption anytime soon.”  Chewie expressed his agreement while Finn and Rose exchanged a look.

“Your nephew?” Rose prompted.

“Well, you know, I’ve known him his whole life.  Leia and Han and I go way back.  We aren’t related, of course, but he’s always been like a nephew to me.  Used to call me Unca Wanwo.  When he was very young, naturally.”

Finn shook his head.  “I don’t mean to be rude, but I’m having trouble wrapping my head around this.  We knew about Kylo Ren in the First Order.  We avoided him for a reason.  He didn’t really seem like… like anyone would enjoy being around the guy.”

Both Lando and Chewie laughed at that.  “I admit he’s had a rough few years.  He’s too much like his father.  He’ll come around, though, especially with that nice young lady to keep him on his toes.”

Finn glanced over at Rose and was pleased to see that she seemed just as thrown by the information as he was.  Fortunately, they got the all-clear to land and he didn’t have to be stuck in this awkward conversation any longer.  Poe and Kaydel were waiting for them on the platform and he was looking forward to seeing them after all the excitement.

“You two go on ahead,” Lando said when they landed.  “I’m sure my people have things well in hand and I want to catch up with my friend,” he added, patting Chewie’s shoulder.  “Unless you’d like some medical attention.”  Chewie snarled in response and Lando laughed.

Rose and Finn exchanged another look and, shrugging, headed toward the gangplank.  They had to walk past where Rey and Kylo – Ben? – were seated to do so.  “Are you coming?” Finn asked, trying not to think about how close the two of them were.

“Yeah, we’ll catch up in just a minute,” Rey replied.  He didn’t wait to see whatever silent communication she was having with the man who used to be a frightening story told to Stormtroopers who were caught shirking their duty.

“Poe!” he called gladly as he hurried down the gangplank toward his friend.  They embraced, and then he did the same to Kaydel while Poe embraced Rose.

“We did it,” Poe said with a grin.

“He captured General Hux,” Kaydel explained.  “We have a large portion of the First Order leadership in custody.  It shouldn’t take much to get them to disband at this point.”

“That’s great,” Rose said.  “What are you going to do with him?”

Poe shrugged.  “Send him to trial, I suppose.  I’m not really sure how that’ll work now.”

“We’ll figure it out,” Finn assured him.

“You did great up there,” Poe continued, clapping Finn on the shoulder.  “I honestly didn’t think it would be as effective as it was,” he admitted.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

He laughed.  “You know what I mean.  It was a long shot and –”  He trailed off, looking behind them with wide eyes.  “Is that – ?”

“Ben,” Rose said firmly and Poe stared at her.  “His name is Ben Solo.  It’s a long story.  And it would be best if there isn’t any confusion about who he is,” she added.

Poe blinked at her, glancing at Finn, who shrugged, then at Kaydel, who looked at least as confused as he was.  BB-8 beeped and he looked down with considerable consternation.  “How did you know his name was Ben?  Alright, alright, fine,” he continued, watching as the Last Jedi came walking up, hand-in-hand with the Jedi Killer.  Whose name was apparently Ben.

“Hello, everyone.  Ben, this is Poe, Kaydel, Rose, and you know Finn,” Rey explained.  They all murmured awkward greetings and it was fortunate that Lando and Chewie chose that moment to leave the Falcon as well, chatting like the old friends they were.

“Ben, it has been too long,” Lando said as approached, breaking off his conversation.

“It has,” Ben echoed hesitantly.

Lando pulled him into his arms tightly.  “I’m so glad you’re back,” he told his nephew.

“I’m glad to be back, Uncle,” he replied quietly.

Everyone else averted their eyes uncomfortably until the reunion was apparently over.  Ben took Rey’s hand again and Lando smiled broadly.  “Now, we have a reason to celebrate tonight, don’t we?  I’ll have something set up.  Come on, Chewie, you can finish your story when I’ve had someone see to that leg.”  Chewbacca grumbled in protest but followed Lando.

 

BB-8 rolled over and ran into Rey, who smiled at him, patting his head without releasing Ben’s hand.  It was nice to see a familiar face, though she remained nervous about what bringing Ben along with her to the Resistance would be like.

“Well, we’d better head in there.  Lots of work to do,” Poe suggested, kneeling to pet his droid and grinning up at them.

The distinct sound of a ship entering the atmosphere interrupted whatever someone might have answered and they all stared as a small transport ship moved through the clouds to land right next to the Falcon.  It opened and a familiar figure made her way down the ramp.  Two figures, as C-3PO hastened to catch up to the first.

“I’m hearing that we won,” Leia Organa called as she approached them.  “Which can’t possibly be true, because I was not here to command a victory,” she added with a grin.  “Hello, Poe, congratulations.  How does it feel?”

He smiled at her.  “Pretty good, ma’am.”

“Glad to hear it.  Kaydel, you were indispensable, I’m sure.  And Finn, I’ll never doubt your powers of persuasion again.”  She stopped short, lifting her hand self-consciously to her chest.  “Ben,” she whispered.

“Hello, Mother.”  Rey could feel both of their heightened emotions and tightened her grip on his hand encouragingly.

“Goodness!  Master Ben!  No one told me to expect you,” C-3PO broke in, sounding pleased, then glanced back at his mistress uncertainly.  Leia did not respond to his subtle query and he looked a bit lost when no one else spoke, either.  BB-8 beeped at him and, with obvious relief, he walked over to the other droid.

Leia cleared her throat, taking in the sight of all of them, then glanced back at her son.  Despite that, her question was not directed at him.  “My son hasn’t made too much of a nuisance of himself today, has he?”

“He saved us all, General.  Gave us time to evacuate when the First Order attacked by holding off their weapon,” Rose explained.

Ben’s mouth worked in that way of his and he glanced away from Leia.

“He’s done great things today, Leia,” Rey said gently.  “In the Light.”

“I don’t doubt that,” Leia replied, then took a hesitant step closer.  “Ben.”

She didn’t need to say more than that.  He stooped to be enfolded in her embrace, releasing Rey to hold tightly to her dress like a child.  “I’m so sorry, Mother,” he murmured.  “For everything.”

Fussing with his hair, she gave a watery smile.  “I know, sweetheart.  I imagine there is a celebration going on.  Why don’t you all go check that out.  Rey, if you could wait a moment.”

The four others were glad enough to leave what was clearly a private moment.  Rey shifted her weight awkwardly as her friends disappeared inside.  Seeing Ben with his mother made her heart ache.

“Am I correct in guessing you had a part in bringing my son back to me?” Leia asked, as though her son wasn’t in her arms to be questioned.

Rey bit her lip.  “A part, yes.”

Leia smiled slightly.  “Don’t undersell yourself, child.  Stand up, Ben, let me look at you.”  He did as bidden and seemed so young as he stood there, accepting her scrutiny.  “You’re taller than I remember.  Could use a wardrobe change.  What happened to your face?” she asked sharply, reaching up to touch the scar.  He caught her hand and shook his head slightly.

“That was me,” Rey explained.

Leia turned to look at her in surprise.  “Well, that’s certainly an unorthodox way to go about it, but I suppose I can’t argue with your results.”  She offered her arm to her son, who took it, then took Rey’s hand.  “Let’s do some celebrating.  I think we could all use it.”

The three of them joined the rest of the Resistance in the mess hall.  Lando’s people must have worked quickly, because the celebration was already in full force.  Poe and Kaydel were teasing each other by the refreshment table, Finn and Rose were laughing with a group of former Stormtroopers.  Lando and Chewie were having a heated debate while some poor medical droid tried to tend to Chewie’s leg.  Leia headed over to embrace both of them, while Rey and Ben followed more slowly.  She smiled up at him.  They were finally home.


End file.
